Chosen Girl and the Triwizard Tournament
by AnimationNut
Summary: Of course nothing goes right for Charlotte Potter. First something weird happens at the Quidditch World Cup and now she's been forced into entering the deadly Triwizard Tournament. Why her? Sequel to Chosen Girl and the Escaped Wizard Convinct.
1. Messing with the Dursleys

**I do not own Harry Potter. Direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire are in bold. Harry Potter belongs to the wonderful J.K Rowling.**

**Messing with the Dursleys**

Charlotte Potter bolted out of bed, tumbling to the floor in a tangle of sheets and covered in sweat. Panting heavily, she climbed cautiously to her feet and covered her burning scar with one hand. "Whoa..." she breathed. "That was one dream."

_Or a vision..._

Charlie gulped and slunk to the floor, massaging her forehead. The dream had been rather vivid. It involved an old house and a dark room...there was a snake in front of the hearth, Wormtail and...Voldemort.

The raven-haired girl shuddered and squinted hard, trying to coax the rest of the dream to the surface of her memory. There was an old man there as well, but she wasn't sure who he was. He had fallen to the floor after a flash of green light-she hoped, for his sake, that what she had was just a dream and nothing more.

And then Wormtail and Voldemort were talking about killing someone...and also of killing her, which was really no surprise. Someone was always trying to kill her and it was usually the Dark Lord.

Charlie got to her feet and rubbed the lightning shaped scar on her forehead. No doubt Harry Lupin, her twin brother and best friend, would be feeling her pain and fear where he lived with his Uncle Remus Lupin. With a sigh she went to her window and peered out at the dark, quiet suburb. Her scar had only ever burned when Voldemort was near, and it seemed unlikely that, in the state he was in, he would be in Privet Drive.

"Looks like I won't be getting much sleep," she muttered as she went away from the window and sat on her bed. Snowy, her white cat, curled against her side and purred in comfort. Charlie petted her absent-mindedly as she thought.

"I wonder if this scar comes with the ability to see visions," she mused. "It wouldn't be the oddest thing that has happened to me. You know, I probably could be talking to Sirius about this right now if I was living with him."

Her nose wrinkled as the obnoxious snores of her Uncle Vernon travelled through the thin walls. Her godfather, Sirius Black, was currently living with Dumbledore until his trial came up. She had offered to speak as a witness but Dumbledore assured her that it would not be necessary.

A pecking at her window caused her to glance up in surprise. An owl was staring at her from outside with wide yellow eyes. Charlie jumped up and rushed for the latch, opening her window and allowing the owl to fly in.

"I'm going to guess that this is from Harry." Charlie said with a grin as she plucked the letter from the owl and offering it some water from the glass on her nightstand. She opened the envelope and glanced at the curly black ink on the parchment.

_Dear Charlie,_

_I'm going to be amazed if this letter gets to you before morning. But then, Uncle Remus' owl has never failed in speedy delivers. I woke up with such a feeling of fear and pain I almost screamed. Are you alright? Do you want me to Floo over? What's happened?_

_Please answer as soon as possible or else I won't get any sleep. _

_Your concerned brother,_

_Harry._

Charlie laughed softly and wrote her return letter, glad to be able to tell someone of her concerns.

_Dear Harry,_

_I had this vivid dream of Voldemort and Wormtail talking. They were planning to kill me and they killed this old man who was unfortunately lurking about. My scar started burning like crazy. I'm not sure if what I had was a vision or just a nightmare. Can curse scars give you visions? Perhaps I'll ask Hermione when I see her..._

_Don't worry. I'm fine. I'm sorry for waking you up. We really ought to work on this whole Sibling Bond this year. I want to see if we can accomplish telepathy._

_Love, _

_Charlie._

Charlie slipped the letter in an envelope and handed it to the patient owl. The owl hooted at her before flying back out the window and into the night. Charlie glanced at the numbers on her clock before sighing and collapsing into bed.

Being the Girl-Who-Lived was hard work.

...

"Morning should not have come so quickly," Charlie muttered as she slumped into the kitchen. The sun was shining through the sparkling glass windows and her relatives were already seated around the kitchen table.

"This is it?" Charlie asked flatly as she slouched into a chair, staring in disgust at the tiny portion of grapefruit that was on her plate.

Aunt Petunia glared at her. "You can go hungry, if you want."

Ever since Dudley's new diet started, Charlie had been getting less and less in Petunia's effort to make Dudley feel better. Charlie had pulled one over on them, though, and dreamed of the sweets and birthday cakes she had stashed under the loose floorboard in her room.

Dudley wolfed his down with impressive skill and Charlie picked at hers. The sound of mail hitting the carpet in the front hall caused Uncle Vernon to hastily get up and leave the table. Charlie rolled her eyes as he slipped his remaining grapefruit into the trash on his way out.

"CHARLOTTE!"

Charlie groaned. "What did I do now?" She complained as she went to join her uncle in the front hall.

Vernon's face was red as he brandished an envelope covered with stamps in her face. "What is _this_?"

"A letter."

"Don't get smart with me, girl!"

Charlie threw her arms out. "But it is a letter! I don't understand what I could have done wrong."

"It's a letter addressed to _you_!" Vernon snapped.

This caused his niece to pause. "Well...okay...can I have it?"

"_WHY ARE THERE SO MANY STAMPS ON IT?" _Vernon bellowed. "The mailman actually knocked on the door after he dropped the mail off and wanted to know where it was from. WHERE IS IT FROM?"

"Give me the thing and I'll find out!" Charlie cried, backing up hastily in case her uncle decided to pick her up by the neck of her shirt and carry her to her room. He had a bad habit of doing that.

Vernon threw the letter at her and Charlie tore it open and read it aloud.

_**Dear Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,**_

_**We have never been introduced, but I am sure you have heard a great deal from **__Charlotte __**about my son Ron. As **__Charlotte __**might have told you, the final of the Quidditch World Cup takes place next Monday night, and my husband, Arthur, has just managed to get prime tickets through his connections at the Department of Magical Games and Sports.**_

_**I do hope you will allow us to take **__Charlotte __**to the match, as this really is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; Britain hasn`t hosted the Cup for thirty years and tickets are extremely hard to come by. We would of course be glad to have **__Charlotte __**to stay for the remainder of the summer holidays, and to see **__her__** safely on the train back to school.**_

_We will send Ron`s owl in a few days so she can give us a response. I would have her do it by the Muggle way, but I don`t think the mailman knows where we live._

_**Hoping to see **__Charlotte __**soon,**_

_**Mrs. Weasley**_

"Oh," Charlie exclaimed. "That makes much more sense. She doesn't know how our post works and went overboard on the stamps."

Vernon was not comforted at all. "_Our _post?"

"Surely you've noticed the owls-"

"ALRIGHT!" Vernon snapped. "I don't even want to know what this Quidditch is."

Charlie rocked back on her heels. "So...can I go?"

Vernon paused and stared at her. "This woman is the one with the litter of redheaded children, right?"

Charlie nodded. Vernon scowled down at the letter. He hated doing anything that made Charlie happy, but getting rid of her two weeks early was a dream come true. Besides, Charlie could always pull the 'Sirius Black' trick. It never failed.

"Fine. You can go to this ruddy World Cup." Vernon snapped furiously. "But I they'll have to pick you up. I'm not driving you halfway across the country. And I better not see your face until next summer!"

Charlie grinned. "Trust me, you won't." She snatched the letter from her uncle's large hand and jogged up the stairs. She barged into her room and did a little dance in delight.

_Pop._

Charlie yelped in shock and tumbled onto her bed. Dobby, her Houself whom she gave to the Weasleys for the summer, was beaming up at her. "Hello, miss! Dobby has been missing Charlotte Potter greatly!"

"Dobby!" Charlie breathed, trying to calm her pounding heart. "It's good to see you."

"Mr. Wheezy has a letter for Miss Potter," Dobby held out another piece of parchment and Charlie took it.

_Dear Charlie,_

_I was thinking about sending Pig (that's the owl Sirius gave me; don't ask how he got his name) but I figured sending Dobby would be faster. I know Mum sent a letter by Muggle post, but I don't know how long that takes and wanted to tell you as soon as possible._

_DAD GOT TICKETS TO THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP!_

_The match is on Sunday. Mum sent a letter so your Muggle relatives might agree to let you go, but even if they don't, we're coming to get you anyway. We'll pick you up at five on Sunday. Hermione and Harry are coming over this evening and they'll be joining us!_

_Oh! And Dad overheard that Sirius' trial is set for tomorrow! If we're lucky, he can come with us! Dad snagged some extra tickets for Remus and Sirius just in case. So far, Remus has agreed to come and said he'll meet us there._

_Isn't this great? Oh, and Percy got a job at the Ministry...if you can, try not to speak to him at all. He'll engage you in a very boring conversation._

_See you soon!_

_Ron_

Charlie grinned happily. She hoped beyond hope that Sirius would be able to make it to the World Cup. She quickly scribbled back a message and handed it to Dobby. "Are you having fun at Ron's?" She asked.

Dobby nodded eagerly. "Mr. Wheezy lets Dobby wear his socks and Mistress Wheezy is very kind!"

"That's good," Charlie smiled fondly at him. "I'll be seeing you soon, Dobby."

"Goodbye, Charlotte Potter!" Dobby snapped his fingers and left with a _pop._

Charlie went over to retrieve some of her birthday cake and paused. "Wait...how exactly are they picking me up?"

...

That question continued to bother Charlie as Sunday approached. Her relatives weren't making it easier. Aunt Petunia was straightening up the house like a mad woman and Uncle Vernon put on a suit. Dudley, however, was terrified, and had his back pressed against the wall.

"Are they picking you up by car?" Vernon asked suddenly, staring out the window and peering around with his small eyes.

Charlie hesitated. She sure hoped so. She'd hate to see how the Dursleys reacted if the Weasleys picked her up by broomstick. Perhaps Mr. Weasley had gotten a car from the Ministry...considering his actual car was running free in the Forbidden Forest. "Yeah."

Vernon snorted and continued to stare. Petunia was scrubbing the picture frames with such pressure Charlie thought the glass would break.

The raven-haired girl propped her chin in her hands and rested her feet on her trunk. Snowy was curled on her lap, purring softly. The time ticked by and the atmosphere grew tense with every second.

"Very rude of them," Petunia sniffed when the Weasleys were thirty minutes late. "What if we had somewhere to be?"

"They don't seem like the sort concerned with punctuality," Vernon muttered.

Before he could rant further, a startled yelp erupted from behind the blocked up fireplace. Charlie jumped up in shock and her fingers twitched for her wand. Dudley screamed and ran for the kitchen.

"**What is it?"** Petunia shrieked as loud bangs came from the other side. "Is it a possum?"

"OUCH!" A familiar voice cried. Charlie gaped at the fireplace. It was Mr. Weasley! "Fred! Something's gone wrong! We need-OUCH! George!"

"Sorry!"

"Go back and tell Ron that-"

"Wait!" Fred called. "Maybe Charlotte can hear us!"

The Dursleys whirled around and glowered at Charlie, who buried her face in her hands to muffle her giggles. "Floo powder! I completely forgot!"

"WHAT IS GOING ON?" Vernon roared.

"Er...people like me can travel by fireplace." Charlie explained. Vernon looked scandalized. The banging from behind the fireplace cover got louder and Charlie quickly went over. "Mr. Weasley! It's me, Charlotte. Um...you see the fireplace has been blocked up. You won't be able to get through."

"Who would do a stupid thing like that?" Fred cried. "OUCH! RON!"

"Sorry! What's going on?"

"We're having tea and biscuits." George snapped.

"BOYS!" Mr. Weasley shouted.

"This isn't a real fireplace," Charlie explained. "It's an electric one."

"You don't say!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed. "I must see this! Hmm...Yes, I think this will do. Stand back!"

Vernon's eyes widened. "WAIT!"

But it was too late. Charlie covered her eyes as the fireplace cover flew to the other side of the room and Mr. Weasley, Fred, George and Ron tumbled out. "Oh..." she moaned. This was not the first impression you wanted to make on the Dursleys.

Mr. Weasley got up and brushed the chippings from his robes. "There we go! Hello, there! You must be Charlotte's aunt and uncle."

Vernon was holding Petunia up; the woman was so close to fainting. The large man stared at Mr. Weasleys outstretched hand silently. For the first time in his life, he was speechless.

"I do apologize for the mess," Mr. Weasley said, retracting his hand. "I wasn't aware we couldn't get out of the other end. Muggle places aren't supposed to be connected to the Floo Network, but I have special connections at the Ministry. I'll send the kids back to my place and then I'll fix this before Disapparating."

Vernon just stared.

Mr. Weasley turned around and smiled at her. "Hello, Charlotte! It's very good to see you."

"It's good to see you too," Charlie answered.

Fred grinned at her. "Need some help with your trunk?"

"It's just there," Charlie gestured towards it, where it was covered by chippings and dust.

It was then everyone noticed Dudley, who had been trying to blend into the wall. Fred and George smiled strangely; they had heard a lot about Dudley from Charlie. Mr. Weasley smiled at him. "And is this your cousin, Charlotte?"

Charlie could feel her lips twitch. "Yeah."

"How are your holidays?" Mr. Weasley asked nicely.

Dudley could only squeak and fear and inch towards his parents. Charlie closed her eyes. _I can't believe I live with these people._

But if she was lucky, she wouldn't be seeing them if Sirius got the justice he deserved.

"Alright then, let's go." Mr. Weasley pointed his wand at the fireplace and it crackled to life, flames licking up the sides.

Fred went to go get some Floo powder and tripped, candies spilling out from his sweater pockets. "Oops!"

He hastily collected the brightly wrapped sweets and threw some powder, turning the fire emerald green. "The Burrow!" He cried and disappeared. George was next, bringing her trunk with him. He winked at her and after his shout he disappeared. Ron was next and he waved merrily to the Dursleys before departing.

Charlie was next.

"See you," she said and headed for the fire. Mr. Weasley placed a hand on her shoulder, preventing her from continuing. He was staring at the Dursleys, who were staying silent.

"You won't be seeing her for an entire year," he said with slight disbelief and irritation in his voice. "You ought to say goodbye."

Vernon eyed the wand he was holding and muttered, "Goodbye."

Charlie waved and started to step into the fire. A sudden retching sound behind her caused her to turn and stare as Dudley collapsed to the floor, spluttering as his tongue grew large and purple and continued to stretch.

_Fred._

Charlie bit her lip. Her cousin deserved it, no doubt about it, but _this_ was why her relatives disliked wizards and witches so much.

Mr. Weasley started forward with his wand. "Don't worry, I can fix it!"

Petunia shrieked and hugged her baby close. Charlie winced as Vernon started roaring something she could not make out.

Vernon started throwing the various ornaments they had around the house and Charlie ducked as one narrowly avoided her head. Mr. Weasley was getting a bit worked up himself and Charlie decided that it would be best to leave.

"Goodbye!" She hollered once more before leaping into the fire. "The Burrow!"

She tumbled out into the familiar home she adored and the twins beamed down at her. "Well?" Fred asked eagerly.

Charlie rolled her eyes. "It was funny, but now I'm going to be grounded for life."

"No you won't." Ron said, helping her up. "When Sirius is proclaimed innocent, you can leave those Muggles behind and live with him!"

Charlie smiled softly. She sure hoped so.

Three more years with the Dursleys was something she was certain she wouldn't live through.

**And here we have Book Four xD I hope you enjoy.**


	2. Portkey is the Only Way to Travel

**I do not own Harry Potter. Direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire are in bold. Harry Potter belongs to the wonderful J.K Rowling.**

**Portkey is the Only Way to Travel**

When Charlie entered the kitchen it was to see two unfamiliar redheaded males at the table. The one closest to her stood up and smiled. His face was weather-beaten and there was a large burn on his arm. "Hello, _Charlie._" He said somewhat teasingly, reaching out to shake her hand.

The raven-haired girl grinned and shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Charlie."

"This is going to get confusing real fast," Fred joked.

The eldest Weasley child smiled at her. "I'm Bill. Ron's told us a lot about you."

Just then Mr. Weasley appeared out of thin air and took a firm hold of George's shoulder. He looked furious. "What were you thinking?" He demanded.

George smiled innocently. "I didn't do anything."

"Then why did that boy's tongue turn purple and start to grow?"

"Hey, I just dropped my sweets." Fred defended. "It's not my fault he took one."

Mr. Weasley scowled. "You knew he was on a diet and you deliberately baited him! His tongue was four feet long by the time his parents let me fix it. Here I am, fighting against the mistreatment of Muggles and my own children pull a stunt like this!"

Fred frowned. "We did it because he's a prat! Isn't he, Charlotte?"

Charlie bit her lip. "Well, yeah, but it's really his parents' fault-Dudley never had to do anything. It was always me."

"The whole family are bullies," George said with a satisfied nod. "Charlotte will be better off without them when Sirius gets released."

Charlie cast a glance at Ron and he grinned sheepishly at her. "Well, I had to explain the loss of Scabbers and I figured I might as well tell them the whole story."

"We thought he went mental-"George began but his father interrupted him.

"Don't change the subject!" He yelled. "Just wait until your mother hears about this!"

"Oh, what have they done now?"

Charlie glanced up and smiled at Mrs. Weasley, who beamed back before turning stern glances at her nervous twin sons. Hermione and Harry came up behind her and Ron started tugging her along. "We don't want to be around to witness this," he muttered. "Mum's been at them all summer to get rid of their Weasley Wizard's Wheezes-those are the products they're inventing. They got the name from Dobby, actually. You know he can't pronounce our name properly."

As Mrs. Weasley started interrogating her sons and husband, the Golden Quartet headed up to Ron's room. The two males sat on the floor and their female companions sprawled on Ron's bed. "So, has anything exciting happened?" Harry asked. "Other than Fred and George torturing your cousin, of course."

Charlie thought about her dream and decided not to share it with Ron or Hermione just yet. "I've been doing chores, as usual. When did Fred and George start making their own joke products?"

Ron shrugged. "I suppose they've been at it for a while. There were always explosions coming from their room but we didn't think much of it. Mum was cleaning and found some order forms-they were going to sell their products to the kids at Hogwarts. She lost it and forced them to throw all their stuff away."

Hermione sniffed. "And so they should. I can just imagine what kind of chaos that would cause."

Charlie glanced at the door. She could Mrs. Weasley's hollering from three flights up. "Where's Percy?"

Ron wrinkled his nose. "Writing his report on standardizing cauldron thickness," he muttered. "He's taking his new job much too seriously."

Suddenly a grey blur shot down from the ceiling and swirled around them, hooting madly. Ron scowled. "Pig! Ginny must have let him out again-GINNY! LEAVE MY OWL ALONE!"

As the ginger raced around trying to catch the owl Charlie blinked. "Why did you call him Pig?"

"It's actually Pigwidgeon," Harry said in amusement. "Ginny named it that and Ron can't seem to get Pig to answer to anything else."

"It's not funny!" Ron snapped, grabbing Pig and stuffing him back in his cage.

"Where's Crookshanks?" Charlie asked. She had seen Snowy slink off somewhere and figured that she might be with Crookshanks, Hermione's large ginger cat.

Hermione gestured out Ron's bedroom window. "He went out into the garden. By the way, Sirius' trial is today, is it not?"

"Actually, it was late yesterday evening," Ron informed. "I'm surprised we haven't gotten any notice."

"You're telling me," Charlie muttered, resting her chin in her hands.

Just then there was a pecking at the window. Pig hooted happily as four owls hovered outside. Ron jumped up and unhooked the latch.

"Oh, good!" Hermione smiled brightly. "Professor Dumbledore must have forgotten about the report cards again!"

Sure enough, aside from the usual Hogwarts supply list, there was an extra envelope attached to it. The Golden Quartet took their letters and waved the owls off. Hermione eagerly tore hers open and beamed.

"Let me guess," Harry said dryly. "All Outstanding?"

Hermione nodded proudly. "I got three hundred percent on my Muggle Studies exam!"

While Harry and Ron gaped at her Charlie opened her own report card.

**Astronomy: O  
Divination: E  
Potions: O  
Charms: O  
Transfiguration: O  
Ancient Runes: O  
Care of Magical Creatures: O  
History of Magic: O  
Herbology: E  
Defense Against the Dark Arts: O**

"Damn!" Charlie muttered. Another year without getting straight O's.

Ron peered at her report card and rolled his eyes. "Two E's. What a shame."

"You go first," Harry said, twisting his report card in his hands.

The ginger sighed and reluctantly opened his.

**Astronomy: E  
Divination: E  
Potions: E  
Charms: E  
Transfiguration: O  
Muggle Studies: E  
Care of Magical Creatures: O  
History of Magic: A  
Herbology: A  
Defense Against the Dark Arts: E**

"Mum should be happy," Ron said with relief. "To be honest, I was expecting a D in History of Magic. That exam was brutal."

"You would have done a lot worse if you'd gone with your original plan and just made up the troll names," Harry said with a grin. "Good thing Hermione forced you to go to the library, huh?"

"Shut up, Harry."

Harry laughed and opened his envelope.

**Astronomy: E  
Divination: A  
Potions: E  
Charms: E  
Transfiguration: O  
Muggle Studies: E  
Care of Magical Creatures: O  
History of Magic: A  
Herbology: O  
Defense Against the Dark Arts: E**

"I can't believe I passed Divination." Harry muttered. "We were all crazy to take that class."

"You should have dropped it like I did." Hermione said. "Professor Trelawney won't be able to teach you anything!"

Ron grinned. "But it's a lot of fun making up predictions. I'm starting to understand why she keeps up the act."

Hermione cuffed him on the shoulder and started downstairs. Charlie and her two male friends followed the bushy-haired girl into the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley was huffing and finishing up dinner. "We'll be eating in the garden," she informed. "Bill and Charlie are setting up the tables outside. Your twin brothers-"She scowled and forcefully opened a drawer with her wand. "I don't know what to do with them!"

"Mum, can you really see them working at the Ministry?" Ron tried to reason. He hastily shut up when Mrs. Weasley glowered at him.

"Why don't you lot go in the garden?" She suggested. "I'm nearly done here."

Charlie headed for the back door and entered the backyard, the sunlight blinding her for a brief moment. When her vision cleared she was staring into the mirthful eyes of Sirius Black.

With a delighted shriek she jumped into his arms. Sirius laughed and swung her around. "I'm free!"

"When did this happen?" Charlie asked eagerly as Sirius set her down.

"Yesterday, but I heard Arthur was kind enough to get me tickets to the World Cup and I decided to surprise you." Sirius ruffled her hair. "Did those Muggles treat you right?"

Charlie nodded. Everyone in the yard frowned in disbelief and she flushed. "Well, I got fed three times a day and I wasn't barred in my room. I consider that good treatment."

Sirius scowled. "Well, the word of my innocence will be sent out later this evening and you can come live with me."

Those were words Charlie had been waiting for since summer started. A full-time escape from the Dursleys was something she was waiting for since she was five.

Before she got too excited Sirius said, "But I'm afraid Dumbledore has insisted that you return to the Dursleys for two weeks every summer."

Charlie groaned. "But why?"

"Dumbledore has his reasons, and although I don't like it we're going to have to listen to him. But if they try anything, just send Dobby to me."

Although she wanted to know why she needed to go back to the Dursleys for two weeks every summer, Charlie glanced up as her friends hurried forward. "Hello, Sirius." Hermione said happily.

Sirius smiled at her. "Hello, Hermione. I don't think I've thanked you properly for suggesting Veritaserum a few months ago. That really saved me."

Hermione flushed. "It was nothing, really."

A picnic table levitated down beside them and Bill approached. "Ah, I've been meaning to have a word with you two."

"About what?" Hermione asked.

Bill arched an eyebrow. "About a certain Hippogriff that came into my possession at the beginning of summer."

The two girls grinned sheepishly. "Er, like we said before, we really can't disclose too many details on that," Charlie said apologetically. "But rest assured, you got it legally."

"I should hope so." Bill chuckled.

Sirius looked between the two girls. "What Hippogriff?"

"One that cannot ever be discussed in public." Hermione said firmly.

Ron shook his head and changed the topic of conversation. "Thanks for the owl, Sirius."

"I figured it was the least I could do." Sirius answered. "Now, since there's an hour or so before dinner, how about a quick game of Quidditch?"

"Yeah!" Ron and the twins cheered and raced to grab their brooms. Harry cast a glance at Charlie.

"Since Scarlet has graduated, who's the new captain?"

"Eliza." Charlie said with a grin. "It's going to be interesting. She's not as forceful as Scarlet is."

"I don't think you'll have much time for Quidditch this year." Charlie Weasley said as he passed with his broom, a knowing smile on his face.

"Why not?" Ron asked.

Sirius glared at the second-eldest Weasley child. "No reason. Come on, let's get started. I want to see if you're as good a Seeker as your father was, Charlotte."

...

After a rather exciting Quidditch game the group gathered at the picnic tables in the middle of the garden. Everyone started piling food on their plates and chatting and Charlie's fork froze over the glass plate when she overheard Percy's conversation with Mr. Weasley.

"...Ludo Bagman is likeable enough, I suppose, but really, what kind of Head of Department lets their own department member stay missing? Bertha Jorkins has been missing for over a month and he's hardly done anything to find her!" Percy was saying. "Mr. Crouch was rather fond of her, but we've got much more important things to do than go searching for hopeless Bertha-she probably got lost on her vacation trip to Albania."

Charlie swallowed. She remembered Quirrell, who had also gone to Albania and had come back acting all funny. Eventually she discovered he had willingly shared his body with Lord Voldemort and when she had defeated him Voldemort left Quirrell for the dead.

She hoped Bertha would not meet the same fate...if she hadn't done so already.

...

"Charlie! Come on, we have to wake up!"

Charlie groaned and awoke to Hermione shaking her shoulder roughly. She could dimly make out Ginny fumbling through her wardrobe for some clothes. "What time is it?"

Hermione glanced at her watch. "About five."

"Oh, Merlin." Charlie groaned. "Why do we have to be up so early?"

"I think we're walking there," Ginny responded, pulling a sweater over her head before bounding out of the room. Charlie gaped.

"_Walking?"_

Hermione ignored her friend's protests and started running a brush through her messy hair. Charlie reluctantly got out of bed and got dressed.

"_GIRLS!" _Mrs. Weasley hollered from downstairs. "Come on down for breakfast!"

The two Ravenclaws jogged down the stairs and entered the kitchen, where everyone was present except for the three eldest Weasley sons. "Will they be Apparating?" Charlie asked, recalling her first horrible experience with Apparition. Granted, it was Mr. Weasley who Apparated her, but it was still unpleasant.

"Yes. I'll send them over at around midday," Mrs. Weasley answered, bustling around a large silver pot.

"How will we be getting there?" Harry asked.

"By Portkey, of course." Sirius answered, leaning back in his chair and smiling. Noting Charlie's confused expression he explained. "A Portkey is an object that can be enchanted to take you to a certain spot at a specific time. Portkeys can be anything."

"Fascinating," Hermione exclaimed.

"How many Portkeys are there?" Charlie asked, smiling at Mrs. Weasley as she deposited a bowl of porridge in front of her.

"Hundreds!" Mr. Weasley said. "The Quidditch World Cup is a large event. We need to find a big enough space to fit thousands of wizards. The entire Ministry has been working on this for months-Muggle-repelling charms have been placed around the arena and there are designated spots for those who are Apparating. It's a hassle, but it's worth it."

"I can't wait to see Ireland take the cup," George said eagerly.

Ron scowled. "Are you mad? No one can beat Krum! He's the best Seeker ever-other than you, of course, Charlie."

"Nice save." Fred patted Ron on the back. "And don't be so confident, dear brother."

Mr. Weasley glanced at the clock. "I think it's time we get going. We don't want to miss the Portkey."

Their departure was delayed, thanks to Mrs. Weasley catching the twins sneaking out some more of their joke products. She was furious and the twins stormed off without a word. Mrs. Weasley bid the rest of them goodbye before heading back into the house.

"Are you excited?" Sirius asked as he fell into step beside Charlie.

The raven-haired girl beamed. "Yeah! I've never been to anything like this before."

"Did you have a tough time convincing your relatives to let you come?" Hermione asked.

"Nah. They couldn't wait to be rid of me." Charlie answered with a shrug. "And I couldn't wait to make my escape."

Sirius' expression darkened. "I can't believe Dumbledore made you stay with them for so long," he growled. "They're obviously not fit to take care of a child."

"Like you said, he probably has his reasons." Charlie sighed. "But I'm glad I get to spend the majority of the summer with you."

Sirius' smiled softly and wrapped his arm around her. "Me too, kiddo. We have a lot of catching up to do."

"Er...Sirius?" Charlie finally said after a moment of silence. "Do you think it's a good idea for you to go out into public so soon?"

Sirius gave her shoulder a squeeze. "It was released in the _Daily Prophet _last night-a breaking news edition. I've already been getting owls from people-ones that tell me to get my butt back to Azkaban and ones that apologize for what I've been through. Everyone in the wizarding world knows I'm innocent-now it's all a matter of how they treat me."

Charlie nodded hesitantly. She hoped there would be no trouble.

They passed through a dark village and over a hill. Harry stumbled along beside Charlie, breathing heavily. "How much longer?" He wheezed.

Mr. Weasley stood at the top of hill and looked around. "We're here!" He called out. "And we've made good time. Now, we just need to find the Portkey."

Harry groaned. "I can't feel my feet."

"Oh, stop complaining." Charlie teased and punched him lightly in the shoulder. Harry pulled a face at her and tiredly joined the search for the elusive Portkey.

"Ah, Arthur!" A voice called from the other side of the hilltop. "I've got the Portkey!"

"Amos!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed and strode over to the rather ruddy-looking wizard. "It's good to see you!"

Amos smiled at them. "It's good to see you lot as well. Ah, what do you know! Sirius Black! That was certainly one heck of a story, son. I never would have believed it if it hadn't been for the Veritaserum."

Sirius grinned. "I have a feeling I'm going to get that a lot."

"I believe most of you know my son, Cedric."

Cedric Diggory nodded at them. "Hello."

Charlie smiled. "Hello, Cedric. Did you have a long walk?"

"We've been up since two in the morning," he said with a sigh. "I can't wait until I pass my Apparition test."

"You and I both, buddy." Amos agreed. "Are these all yours, Arthur?" Here he was referring to the group of children gathered behind the patriarch of the Weasley family.

"Oh, only the redheads." Mr. Weasley placed an arm around Charlie and Hermione and Harry stepped shyly forwards. "This is Hermione and this is Harry, both are very good friends of my son Ron. This is Charlotte, also a-"

Amos gasped. "Charlotte Potter?" He asked excitedly.

Charlie rubbed her lightning scar self-consciously. "Hello. It's nice to meet you."

"Cedric's told me about that Quidditch match last year-I could hardly believe it!" Amos said proudly. "My son beat Charlotte Potter!"

Cedric flushed with embarrassment. "Dad, she fell off her broom. I probably wouldn't have-"

"Don't be modest, son! Of course you would have. Charlotte would agree that all is fair, and the best player stayed on their broom."

Charlie could see that the twins and her godfather were getting irritated with this man. She wasn't taking anything personally-he was just a man proud of his son. Not wanting a fight to break out she quickly said, "Of course. Cedric deserved to win that match. He did brilliantly."

Cedric smiled at her and Amos beamed and clapped her on the back. "Couldn't have said it better myself!"

"I do believe it's almost time to go," Mr. Weasley said before anything more on the subject could be said. "The Lovegoods are already there and the Fawcetts couldn't get tickets this year. Everyone, grab hold!"

Charlie stared at the mouldy boot but put her finger against it. Sirius winked at her. "Get ready."

It happened instantly-there was a jerk behind her naval and suddenly they were swirling through a mix of colours and wind.

It was over as soon as it started and they all slammed into the ground. With a groan, Charlie rolled over and glared at her amused godfather.

"Thanks for the warning."


	3. Ireland and Bulgaria

**I do not own Harry Potter. Direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire are in bold. Harry Potter belongs to the wonderful J.K Rowling.**

**Ireland and Bulgaria**

Ron helped Charlie to her feet. "And that's how you travel by Portkey."

Charlie rolled her eyes and rubbed her neck. "I don't know what's worse; Portkeys or Apparating."

Mr. Weasley handed the used Portkey to a Ministry wizard and soon they were directed to their campsite. The wizard clapped Sirius on the back as they went past. "I wish you luck."

Sirius sighed. "That sounds promising..."

Mr. Weasley pulled a wad of Muggle money from his pocket as they approached the pay booth. An old, rusted plaque read _Mr. Roberts-Site Manager._ "Er...Arthur Weasley?"

Mr. Roberts glanced at the multiple sheets of papers in front of him. "You're by the wood-two miles in that direction. You'll see a sign with your name. That'll be twenty pounds, please."

Arthur stared at the bills in his hand. Charlie sighed and moved in closer. "Take these two bills right here," she muttered. The site manager was staring at them curiously. "No, that's a five. I meant the-Mr. Weasley, why are you carrying marbles in your pocket? Never mind, never mind."

Finally Arthur handed over the correct bills. Mr. Roberts shook his head. "I've seen quite a few of you lot today."

"You don't say?" Arthur asked nervously.

"I don't think I've ever had so many foreigners down at one time. A few of them tried to give me gold coins that were the size of dinner plates! The strange thing is although they seem to be from different places, it's like they all know each other." Mr. Roberts frowned in thought. "It's almost like a party-"

Charlie and Harry yelped as a wizard came out of nowhere and pointed his wand at Mr. Roberts. **"**_**Obliviate!"**_

Mr. Roberts' eyes went unfocussed. "Here's your change," he said in a distant sort of voice. "Have a nice day."

"You as well," Arthur replied and hastily ushered the group forwards before the site manager got suspicious again. "Thanks, Cheswick." He muttered to the wizard walking beside them. "How much trouble are you having with that one?"

"Too much," Cheswick sighed. "He needs a good ten Memory Charms every two hours. He's too curious and sharp for his own good. If he decides to take a stroll through the grounds-no, I'm not even going to think about that. Ludo Bagman isn't helping matters either. He's hollering about Quaffles and Snitches at the top of his lungs." Cheswick shook his head in exasperation. "If this World Cup lasts for five days, I'm retiring."

Arthur grinned as Cheswick Disapparated. "Come on, you lot. We're just down this-"

A sudden high-pitched shriek echoed across the misty field. A witch with frizzy black hair had noticed Sirius and whipped out her wand in panic. Hermione yelped as a red streak of light went inches past her ear.

Sirius managed to dodge the hex and hastily held up his hands in defense. Arthur and Amos stepped in front of him and quickly tried to explain to the terrified witch that Sirius Black had been cleared of all charges. Finally, Hermione pulled a copy of last night's _Daily Prophet _out of her bag and showed it to the witch.

After a lot of apologizing the group set off again. Harry looked at Hermione in awe. "Did you bring that copy of _Daily Prophet _to show people who may have not heard the news?"

Hermione nodded. "I thought it would be a good idea."

"It was," Sirius said with appreciation. "You really are quite the clever witch, Hermione."

Hermione flushed with pleasure.

"HEADS UP!" Ron bellowed as streaks of purple light shot towards them. The kids hurtled to the ground and Fred peered at them all.

"This is going to be a long trip."

...

Amos and Cedric went to their separate campsite, and after a few more attempted hexes at Sirius they managed to make it to their campsite. Sirius panted heavily and collapsed to the ground. "You know, I've been missing my wand for years. Now that I have it back, I can't really use it to defend myself. People will think I'm going to attempt another mass murder."

"It could have been worse," Harry said as he helped Arthur set up the tent. "The majority of the people here have never even heard of you. Most of the people here have gotten the news-it's just a few that haven't."

"I've nearly gotten hexed thirteen times in the past five minutes." Sirius said dryly. "I'm not really looking forward to the rest of this trip. Where's your guardian, Harry? I need him to put some sense into this people."

As if on cue Remus Lupin appeared out of nowhere and he grinned. "I don't think me hexing them will do any good either, Sirius."

The two embraced quickly and Sirius rolled his eyes. "I don't think I'll survive this, Remus."

"You'll do fine," Charlie promised.

"All done!" Arthur said cheerfully.

Everyone turned to see two shabby and roughly put together tents. Charlie glanced at Harry and Hermione, who had been helping the patriarch of the Weasley family construct the tents. "Brilliant."

"Oh, shut up." Hermione snapped. She brushed the dust and dirt off of her sweater. "They'll do."

Charlie was tempted to point out that there would be twelve in their party and that two tents would not cover it. Harry caught the doubt on her face and motioned for her to take peek. She did so.

"Oh." The place had four bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a living area. You would have never guessed this from the exterior of the tents. "Magic. I got ya."

Harry rolled his eyes and everyone filed in. Arthur smiled at them. "The girls get their own room, of course. Fred and George will share a room with Ron and Harry."

"Harry's cool," Fred agreed. "But do we really have to share it with Ronnie?"

Ron scowled and punched him in the shoulder. Arthur shook his head. "Percy, Bill and Charlie will get their own room."

Sirius pulled a face. "Arthur, are you sure you want us to share a room with Mr. Fleabag? OUCH! Arthur, Remus just hit me with a Stinging hex!"

"It was a minor one, you wimp!"

"BOYS!" Arthur cried. "Come now, I already have seven children I need to worry about. Don't make me put you on a time out."

"Sorry, Arthur."

Everyone put their stuff in their respective rooms and the Golden Quartet was sent out for some water. Charlie asked Sirius if he wanted to join them and her godfather shook his head. "My head is going to be hexed off my shoulders if I leave this tent. Have fun and don't get into trouble."

"Sheesh," Harry said in awe as they crossed through the section of tents that belonged to the Ireland fans. "I'd hate to see how they would react if Ireland loses."

"Shh!" Ron hissed. "You don't say stuff like that here!"

Charlie blinked and suddenly Ron was covered in slime. She gaped in shock and looked around for the prat who had attacked her best friend. The anger turned into amusement as she spotted a toddler a few feet away, clutching a wand and staring sadly at the mess he had made. His mother ran out and grabbed the wand from him.

"No, Kevin!" She cried in exasperation. "You never touch our wands-"It was then she noticed Ron and the goop on her son's hands. "I am so sorry about that. He's a bit spirited-"

"It's okay," Ron managed to say. "It's no big deal. Have fun at the Cup, ma'am. Ireland all the way!"

Hermione was red from trying to hold in her laughter. "The boy was making a slug expand-that's slug slime all over Ron."

"I need that water tap," Ron growled as he flicked the substance off of his fingers. "Now. Ah, Merlin! Can you believe this? I'm walking through the Bulgarian section covered in slime. I think Viktor Krum is laughing at me..."

Every tent had a poster of a surly-looking man with thick eyebrows. The Krum nearest to them wasn't laughing at all-his nose was wrinkled in disgust as Ron passed with a beet red face.

"Isn't Viktor Krum one of the youngest Seekers to ever play on a national team?" Harry asked. "He's eighteen or something, I think."

"And a genius," Ron added.

They finally reached the water tap and filled up the bucket. Ron scrubbed the slime off of him as best he could. "There's no way I'm walking all the way back in slug blood," he muttered darkly as he stuck his face under the stream of water.

Dripping but clean Ron led the way back to the campsite. They were delayed once more by Scarlet Ezra, Charlie's old Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain. She beamed at her and dragged her over to Oliver Wood, her boyfriend that also graduated with her. "It's been a while, Charlie!" Scarlet exclaimed.

"It's going to be difficult not having you as our captain next year." Charlie smiled. "Who else is going to tell Tommy to shut up and keep Clancy on his broom?"

"All Eliza has to do is cry," Scarlet grinned. "Tears make boys uncomfortable. They'll do whatever she wants if she turns on the waterworks. Isn't that right, Oliver?"

"I have no comment." Oliver said flatly.

"He's still a bit sore for not winning the Quidditch Cup," Scarlet whispered. "He'll get over it. We've both been signed to Puddlemere United. Well, I ought to get going. I hope to see you again, Charlie. Make sure Ravenclaw kicks butt!"

The Golden Quartet made their way back to the tent. Mr. Weasley nearly burned down the wood in his attempts to light the fire with a match and Hermione finally got up and guided him. During their dinner of sausage Ludo Bagman himself wandered up to them.

"Hello, all!" He greeted cheerfully. "Enjoying yourselves so far?"

Arthur smiled. "Ludo! Kids, this is the man responsible for giving us such good tickets."

"Thank you!" The group of children called.

"No problem at all! Ah, Sirius Black! I've heard you've been close to getting hexed!"

Sirius grinned easily. "It's like being back at Hogwarts."

Ludo laughed. "I've managed to calm everyone down. You should be fine from here on out. Charlotte Potter! Is that you?"

Charlie resisted the urge to trace her lightning bolt scar. "Hello, sir. It's very nice to meet you."

"And it's an honour to meet you." Ludo beamed as he shook her hand. "I don't suppose any of you would like to make a little wager on the match?"

Percy looked scandalized. His twin brothers, however, jumped at the chance. Hermione rolled her eyes as they handed Ludo their savings and a fake wand, which he was delighted by. Arthur shook his head. "Don't tell your mother."

"We won't!" The twins promised.

Ludo chuckled. "It's only a bit of fun, Arthur. Oh-Barty! How are you?"

For a stiff and crisp looking wizard had just Apparated beside him. Charlie assumed him to be Barty Crouch. And he did not look happy. "I've been looking for you everywhere! We have a problem with the Bulgarians."

"Been busy then?"

"Of course. I've been on my feet all day. There's plenty of organizing to do when you're assembling thousands of wizards in one place." Barty Crouch said dryly.

"Can I get you a cup of tea?" Percy asked earnestly.

"Please, Weatherby."

Charlie bit her knuckle to keep from laughing. Arthur smiled. "I'll bet you'll all be glad when this is over."

Ludo shook his head. "This is the most fun I've had! And there's plenty more to look forward to, what with Hogwarts-"

"Come, Ludo." Barty said sharply. "We must be off." And the pair Disapparated.

Percy frowned; disgruntled about not being able to talk to Mr. Crouch more and holding his cup of tea. "I noticed Ludo didn't say anything about Bertha."

Arthur sighed. "Bertha will turn up. Ludo believes that it's just her poor memory that got her."

"Still..."

"Let's not talk about Bertha for now." Remus interrupted gently. "Let's just have a good time."

"Uncle Remus, your dinner is on fire." Harry informed.

Sirius burst into laughter.

"What's going on at Hogwarts?" The twins asked.

The adults exchanged glances. "You'll see."

...

"Look at all this stuff!" Harry exclaimed as they walked through the endless line of shop stalls and salespeople. The match would be starting in a few minutes and the quartet was given permission to browse before meeting the others. "I don't know what to buy!"

Ron headed over to a booth covered in shamrocks and bought a large green hat with the word _Ireland _written on it in sparkling letters. "Team spirit!"

Hermione grinned. "Then why did you buy a miniature of Viktor Krum first?"

Ron flushed and Charlie giggled. Hermione bought a shamrock pin that changed colours and Harry got a pair of Ireland Quidditch gloves. Charlie was still uncertain when she came upon a cart full of funny bronze binoculars with a bunch of knobs and dials. "What do these do?"

"They're Omnioculars. You can speed action up, slow it down, zoom in and out and review a play-by-play!" The salesperson exclaimed. "Ten Galleons each."

Ron and Harry looked at the Omnioculars longingly. Charlie pulled out a fistful of Galleons. "Four."

Harry gaped. "No, you don't-"

"I want to." Charlie handed him his pair. "Consider it another birthday present. And consider these your Christmas presents."

Ron beamed. "Thanks!"

Hermione stared at hers in awe. "Thanks, Charlie!"

A deep gong sounded and sudden red and green lights sparked in the trees, leading towards the Quidditch pitch.

"Come on, you lot!" Sirius hollered to them.

Charlie grinned. "Here we go!"


	4. When Death Eaters Call

**I do not own Harry Potter. Direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire are in bold. Harry Potter belongs to the wonderful J.K Rowling.**

**When Death Eaters Call**

Thousands upon thousands of witches and wizards were walking through the wood. The pitch was on the other side, and Mr. Weasley said it had taken all year to construct and complete. Charlie emerged from the thicket and stared at the stadium-like pitch with wide green eyes.

"Wicked!" Ron breathed.

Fred clapped his hands together gleefully. "And this is where Ireland will claim victory!"

Hermione shot him a dubious expression. From what she had heard about Viktor Krum, it seemed that predicting victory for Ireland so soon was a fool's move. "We shall see."

"Come on, kids." Mr. Weasley started up the purple carpeted stairs. "We're in the very top box."

They walked up the flight of steps. They passed wizards in green robes and witches with green lipstick. Everyone was showing their team spirit. Ron yanked his Ireland hat over his red hair and grinned. The group reached the Top Box and settled in. Charlie stared down in amazement. "Wow."

"Pretty cool, yeah?" Sirius smiled at her excitement. "I haven't been to a match in years."

"Let's hope you managed to survive this without getting your head hexed off." Remus joked. Harry chuckled and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"I don't think it's a good idea to have us sitting beside each other. Someone might accidently fall out of the box."

"And it'll be you."

As the two friends bickered Charlie continued to look at her surroundings. She could hardly believe she was at the Quidditch World Cup. Her time spent with her relatives already seemed ages ago. Her green eyes fell upon a familiar creature sitting in the box in front of them. Her eyebrows shot upwards. "Dobby?"

She was certain Dobby was at the Weasleys. Perhaps he had wanted to join them?

But when the creature turned around Charlie knew it wasn't her Houself. "Sorry," she said quickly. "I thought you were someone else."

"But Winky is knowing Dobby, Miss Potter!" Winky squealed. "Dobby and I are friends. He comes to visit once in a while."

Ron, Hermione and Harry leaned forwards in interest. Winky continued. "I keep telling Dobby not to visit so often. He has a mistress to look after! But he speaks highly of you, Miss Potter! You did him a good favour."

Charlie blinked. "How so?"

"Dobby wanted to be a _free _elf," she whispered. "He wanted to be _paid _for his work! But that is unbecoming of a Houself.

Hermione wrinkled her nose at this.

"Dobby would never have gotten a job if he was a free elf. He would have demanded many things. But _you _gave him the honour of being your Houself." Winky stared up at Charlie with wide eyes. "Dobby will do as he is told, like all Houselves should. Master has sent me to the Top Box to save him a seat. I is scared of heights. But I do as I am told."

Charlie frowned slightly. It wasn't fair to force Houselves to do things they didn't want to do. But the relationship between wizards and Houselves was long and complicated, and she knew better than to tamper with something that has been established long ago.

But she could be one of those masters who were kind, caring and compassionate.

Winky burrowed her head in her hands and Ron shook his head. "Houselves," he muttered softly. He pulled out his Omnioculars and started peering around. "These are so cool! Look, I can make that bloke down there trip again...and again...and again!"

Hermione rolled her eyes and studied the pamphlet. "It says that there will be a performance by the mascots of each team."

"Those are always exciting." Remus informed her.

Sirius arched an eyebrow. "How would you know? You lock yourself in that house of yours every chance you get. Harry, did Remus ever take you to a World Cup?"

"Only once." Harry screwed up his face in thought. "But I was really little. I don't remember it much."

Remus shot Sirius a triumphant smirk. Before the pair could start arguing (again) Cornelius Fudge climbed up towards them. Percy nearly had a heart attack. Fred and George restrained him so he wouldn't fly out of his seat and accidently tackle the Minister of Magic in his excitement.

"Charlotte!" Fudge cried. "How are you, dear girl?"

Charlie shook hands with him. "I'm fine, Minister. How are you?"

"Splendid, thank you. Ah yes. This is the Bulgarian Minister of Magic. He can't speak a lick of English." Fudge shook his head. "I've been miming things all day."

Charlie smiled and extended her hand to him. The Bulgarian Minster shook it firmly and his eyes strayed to her scar. He started babbling excitedly. Fudge beamed. "Yes, this is Charlotte Potter. Good thing you're well know in the Wizarding World. It probably would have taken me ages just to introduce you."

"No sign of Barty?" Mr. Weasley asked sympathetically.

"None. I could use him at a time like this. I'm sure he'll show up. He wouldn't miss this for anything. Good day, Lucius!"

Charlie collapsed back against the seat and closed her eyes. There were three seats left behind Mr. Weasley. It didn't take a genius to figure out who would occupy them. "Fantastic."

"Just our luck." Ron muttered. The four kids reluctantly turned around. Sure enough, the blonde Malfoy family were making their way to the remaining seats. Draco's nose curled up in a sneer upon seeing them.

"The riff-raff they let in these days." Charlie overheard him mutter to Pansy Parkinson, Draco's best friend and partner in crime.

"Good day Minister." Lucius bowed slightly. "I don't suppose you've met my wife Narcissa or my son Draco?"

Greetings were exchanged all around. Fudge gestured towards the Bulgarian Minister behind him. "This is Mr. Oba-Oba-this is the Bulgarian Minister of Magic. I can't pronounce his name and he can't understand English."

Charlie caught the Bulgarian Minister's eye. He winked at her and Charlie giggled. The Bulgarian Minister knew exactly what was going on. He was just having some fun.

"Arthur," Lucius drawled. His tone held a bit of mocking. "What a surprise to see you."

Arthur nodded curtly.

Narcissa and Sirius were staring at each other. It seemed as if they were attempting to burn holes in each other's skulls. Charlie was mildly startled by how much hate they projected. "I didn't believe it when I saw the papers." Narcissa whispered. Her tone was cold and harsh. "But here you are."

Sirius sneered. "It's a surprise, isn't it? I know how much you wanted me out of Azkaban." His sneer turned into a wicked smirk. "It's such a shame that dear Trixie is still rotting away, isn't it?"

Narcissa's eyes flashed with fury. Charlie was certain Sirius would have gotten hexed if it weren't for the presence of Cornelius Fudge.

The Malfoy's took their seats just as Ludo Bagman stormed into the box. "Are we ready?" He asked eagerly.

"Go right ahead." Fudge smiled.

Ludo muttered a spell and soon his voice could be heard over the noise of the spectators. "Welcome one and all to the **final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!**"

Screams and cheers exploded from the crowd. Ludo beamed. "Let's all give a big cheer for the **Bulgarian Team Mascots**!"

The scarlet-clad witches and wizards went crazy. Sirius squinted out at the pitch. "I wonder what mascots they have. Oh! Veela!"

Charlie scratched her head and stared at the Veela that streamed onto the pitch. Hundreds of women with moon-bright skin and white gold hair danced about. They didn't seem to be human and their movements were graceful and fluid. "Huh. So those are Veela."

"Harry, what are you _doing_?" Hermione hissed.

Her brother seemed to be in process of climbing the box wall. The music stopped and the Veela departed. Remus blinked rapidly and took notice of his charge about to jump from the box. He quickly wrapped an arm around his waist and tugged him back into his seat. "I don't think it would have been worth it," he said in amusement.

Harry turned brick red.

Ron rubbed his eyes. "Veela," he sighed dreamily.

Hermione and Charlie rolled their eyes.

Sirius shook his head. "Glad that's over. Veela are pretty to look at but they play some nasty tricks on your mind."

"And now," Ludo boomed. "The **Irish National Team Mascots**!"

Charlie watched in awe as a green and gold comet flew into the stadium. Rainbows shot into the air and shamrocks rained down on them. Green and gold fireworks exploded in the sky and gold coins scattered everywhere. Charlie squinted and noticed that the flying shamrock was made up of tiny bearded men. "Leprechauns!" She exclaimed. "Awesome!"

"Never try to steal their gold." Sirius warned. "Bad things happen."

Ron grabbed a hatful of gold coins and dumped them in Charlie's lap. "I think I want a new broom for my Christmas present."

Charlie snorted and punched him the arm. "You wish."

Ludo then introduced the team members of the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team. When Viktor Krum sped out the Bulgarians (and quite a few Irish National fans) went wild. The Irish National Team was next and then the match began.

Charlie watched it through her Omnioculars. Ron would jostle her arm every now and then in excitement. "Did you see that? That was so cool!"

The Quidditch moves the teams were using interested Charlie. She would replay them in slow motion and watch carefully. Perhaps some of them would come in handy one day.

The pitch exploded into cheers and Charlie snapped her head up. "What happened?"

"Troy just scored!" Hermione exclaimed. "Aren't you paying attention?"

Sirius reached over and flicked the speed dial back to normal. "I think that might help." He teased.

Charlie rolled her eyes and went back to the match. The Ireland Chasers were magnificent and their team was staying in the lead. Krum and Lynch went into a sharp dive for a moment before Krum pulled up at the last minute, proving that he had been feinting. Lynch struck the pitch and his broom went flying.

"That was wicked!" Harry breathed. "I wonder if I can do that."

"Don't even try!" Remus said sternly.

Eventually Lynch was revived by the medi-wizards and the game started again. New energy burned through the Ireland players and they were green blurs on the pitch. Bulgarian caused a few penalties and Ireland scored each one.

The Veela were getting angry and they started their dance again. Hermione clapped her hands over Harry's ears and Charlie covered Ron's eyes. The Egyptian referee got caught up in the Veela charm and someone had to run out and kick him in the shins. Highly amused, Charlie watched as the referee angrily motioned for the Veela to leave the pitch. They refused and the match started up again with ferocity.

After a while the Veela went crazy. They stampeded across the pitch and the leprechauns fought them off. Ministry wizards swarmed out to separate them. Charlie laughed. "This is great!"

Harry wrinkled his nose. "They're not so pretty-looking now."

Fire blasts were flying everywhere. One of them struck Viktor just as Lynch spotted the Snitch. Everyone held their breath as the two flew down towards it. Lynch could not pull up in time and hit the pitch once more. Veela stampeded over him and Viktor snagged the golden Snitch.

**BULGARIA: ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY. IRELAND: ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY**

The green-clad wizards and witches went crazy. Ludo jumped up and down. "I don't believe it! Viktor got the Snitch but Ireland won the match! Who could have expected this to happen?"

Fred and George high-fived each other.

Ron groaned. "Why would he catch the Snitch when they were behind?"

Charlie grinned. "He knew that his team would never catch up to the Ireland Chasers. They were just too good. So he decided to end the game on his terms."

Fred and George jumped out of their seats and raced to collect their winnings from Ludo.

...

The group headed back through the forest. The sky was darkening rapidly. Charlie grinned. "That was a great match."

Fred and George counted their money. "You said it!" They chorused.

"You're lucky Narcissa didn't hex you." Remus said to Sirius. "That would have been disastrous."

"I can take her any day." Sirius said stubbornly.

Charlie glanced up at him. "How do you know Mrs. Malfoy?"

"Oh! Well, er...she's my cousin." Sirius grinned sheepishly. "I was the shame of the Black family. I was in Gryffindor and I hated everything my family did. We don't exactly get along. Especially now that I'm out of Azkaban and her dear sister is still rotting."

"Trixie?" Charlie asked, repeating the name she had heard him use.

"Bellatrix." Remus corrected. "He only calls her Trixie to annoy Narcissa. Their family is a bit warped."

Charlie thought of her relatives and knew she could relate.

"Alright, time for bed." Arthur proclaimed as they reached their campsite. "We have an early morning tomorrow."

Everyone got changed into their pajamas and slipped into bed. "Wasn't this fun?" Hermione whispered in the dark.

Charlie grinned. "It was the best day of my life."

...

"Girls! Girls, wake up!"

Charlie moaned and sat up. She blinked a few times to clear her vision and stared at Sirius. His wand was out and his posture was tense. She could hear panicked screams coming from outside of the tent. "What's wrong?"

Sirius gently jostled Hermione awake. "Grab a sweater and get outside. Quickly!"

Hermione tumbled out of bed and Charlie tossed her a jacket. She pulled a dark purple sweater over her baggy T-Shirt and looked around for her shoes. They were nowhere to be seen. She cursed and raced out of the tent barefoot with Hermione close behind, her bushy hair flying behind her.

"What's going on?" Charlie asked Harry.

Harry pointed to a large black mass coming towards them. People were fleeing into the forest as the strange people crushed tents as they moved. Charlie squinted at the four figures hovering over the black-robed wizards. There was Mr. Roberts and what must have been his family.

Charlie's eyes widened as she watched the masked crowd swing the poor family around like ragdolls. "Those jerks! Who are they?"

"Death Eaters," Harry whispered as Sirius and Remus stumbled out of the tent. "You-Know-Who's followers."

_Typical._

Mr. Weasley, Bill, Percy and Charlie Weasley came out of the tent next. "We're going to help the Ministry." Mr. Weasley informed them. "Fred and George, you're in charge of Ginny. Stay close and go into the forest. I'll come get you when it's safe."

Fred and George hustled Ginny towards the forest. Charlie and her friends lingered back a bit to stare at the chaos before hurrying after them. "Where are your shoes?" Harry asked as they ran.

"I couldn't find them." Charlie answered. She stubbed her toe on a rock and she yelped. "And now I wish I hadn't been so curious and spent a little longer looking for them."

The four kids lost the twins and Ginny and were stumbling through the forest on their own. Charlie and Ron kept tripping over rocks and tree roots and Hermione finally had enough. She disregarded the rule that children were not allowed to use magic outside of school and lit up her wand.

"Thanks." Ron panted as Harry helped him to his feet.

"Is your big feet getting in the way again, Weasley?"

Charlie scowled and glared at Pansy. "Knock it off."

"Ooh, sticking up for your boyfriend?" Pansy cooed. Ron turned red. "Shouldn't you lot be going? You wouldn't want them getting a hold of _her, _would you?"

"Hermione is a witch." Charlie said coldly. "And why don't you stop acting like the pureblood you aren't, _half-blood_."

Pansy stiffened. "Why you-!"

Ron grinned. "Yeah, has your father left yet? Was the shame too much to bear?"

Hermione elbowed Ron in the side sharply. Pansy turned purple. "I'll have you know that my parents have forgiven each other. They have twice the amount of status-and money-then your parents will ever have, Weasley. The Hat declared me a Slytherin-and only purebloods are allowed in Slytherin!"

It seemed she was trying to convince herself more than anything. In their second year it had been revealed that Pansy was a half-blood. Her witch mother went and had an affair with a Muggle. From what Charlie gathered, Pansy's 'father' spent a lot of money to settle everyone down and to keep their status as a pure-blooded Slytherin family. Although she had noticed that (with the exception of Draco) the Slytherins were treating her a bit more coldly. The only reason they hadn't shunned her completely was probably because of her close relationship with the son of the influential Malfoy family.

"I suggest you get running." Pansy sneered. "Death Eaters aren't a fan of Mudbloods, blood traitors and especially not of Charlotte Potter. But if you want to stay here and get killed, go ahead. Make my day."

Charlie scowled and lugged her friends along. "Where are Fred and George?"

"They couldn't have gone far." Ron lit his wand and raised it. Charlie dug through her sweater pocket for her wand and groaned.

"Great. I've lost my wand."

"Please tell me you're kidding!" Harry begged.

Charlie shook her head. The four kids studied the forest ground but did not come across Charlie's wand. "Now what?" Ron asked.

"Maybe you left your wand in the tent." Hermione suggested.

Charlie rubbed her forehead. "I guess so."

The bushes near them rustled and they all jumped. Ron, Hermione and Harry swung their wands around and Charlie scowled. This was where a wand would come in handy.

Winky tumbled out of the bushes. She raced past them and it seemed as if an invisible force was trying to hold her back. "There are bad wizards about! Bad wizards lifting people high up! Winky must get out of the way!"

Harry shook his head. "I guess she didn't ask for permission to run."

Hermione immediately launched into a rant about the mistreatment of Houselves. Charlie shook her head and glanced around. She could see a crowd of Veela a few feet away. Among their admirers was Stan Shunpike-the conductor on the Knight Bus. He was trying desperately to convince the Veela that he was about to become the youngest ever Minster of Magic. Charlie giggled.

"I don't see how this is funny." Hermione said crossly.

"I wasn't laughing at you. I was laughing at them." Charlie gestured towards the crowd and saw Ron's face go blank. She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him off. "I don't think so lover-boy."

The four kids came upon a dark and empty part of the forest. "Oh fantastic," Harry muttered. "This is the kind of place we want to be in when a group of revenge-hungry Death Eaters come storming the forest."

Everyone jumped and screamed when a figure came stumbling towards them. Hermione lifted her wand higher so she could cast light on the person. "Mr. Bagman?"

Ludo Bagman didn't look so good. He blinked at them. "What are you doing here all alone?"

"There's kind of a riot going on." Charlie informed slowly. "Death Eaters have stormed the campgrounds."

Bagman swore and Disapparated. Harry frowned. "That's odd."

"Mr. Bagman is odd." Charlie corrected.

There was another rustling noise a few feet away. They went silent and squinted. Whoever it was, they were out of their range of vision.

"_**MORSMORDRE!"**_

The kids jumped when a bright green skeleton erupted into the sky. A serpent protruded from its mouth like a tongue. Screams came from all around them as the form in the sky became more prominent. Charlie scratched her head. "That's not good, is it?"

Ron was white. "Not at all. That's the Dark Mark."

"Voldemort's sign." Hermione whispered in horror. "Come on!"

They had only made it a few steps when they were suddenly surrounded by various Ministry wizards and witches in nightclothes. The kids flung themselves to the ground as Stunning Spells sailed over their heads, bouncing off of trees and flying into the wood.

"_Ron!" _The familiar voice of Mr. Weasley cried. "Put your wands down! _**That's my son**_!"

The spells stopped. Cautiously, Charlie lifted her head. Mr. Weasley, Remus and Sirius rushed over. "Are you alright?" Remus asked frantically. He hoisted Harry to his feet and checked him over.

"Fine." Harry said dazedly.

"What's the big idea?" Sirius snapped angrily. He wrapped a protective arm around Charlie and glowered.

"They cast the Dark Mark!" Mr. Crouch bellowed. "They're at the scene of the crime!"

Charlie knew exactly what Severus Snape would say at a time like this-_they have a habit of being at the wrong place at the wrong time._

"We didn't do it!" Ron protested.

"Lies!" Mr. Crouch cried.

"They're only kids!" Remus defended. "They don't know enough Dark Magic to do something like this."

"Then maybe it was _him!" _Mr. Crouch turned on Sirius. "You-"

"Now, now." Mr. Weasley said firmly. "It wasn't Sirius either. He was with me the whole time. Now kids, where did the Mark come from?"

Hermione pointed shakily to the spot where the incantation had been spoken. The wizards and witches held up their wands and moved slowly.

"We got someone!" Amos Diggory shouted. He emerged from the bushes carrying a limp figure. Charlie gasped. It was Winky!

Barty Crouch stared in disbelief. "No." He hurried off to where Amos had just come from.

Amos shook his head. "There's no point. No one else is there."

Mr. Weasley frowned. "But a Houself couldn't have done it. You need a wand to summon the Dark Mark."

Amos held up a wand. "It was lying beside her."

"Merlin!" Mr. Weasley breathed.

Ludo Bagman showed up just s Crouch was stumbling out of the bushes. "Did you get them?"

"We did." Amos said grimly.

Ludo stared. "Barty, isn't that your Houself?"

Barty nodded stiffly. Amos held up the wand. "This was found near her. I believe some questioning is needed."

Winky was revived and the Houself looked around before bursting into terrified sobs. Amos frowned. "You are in a bad position, elf. The Dark Mark has been cast and you were found right beneath it with a wand. Explain yourself!"

"I is not be doing it!" Winky protested meekly.

"Then how do you explain this?" Amos demanded, holding out the wand.

Charlie's eyes sprung open in realization. "That's my wand!"

Sirius stared at her in surprise. "Your wand?"

"Yeah! I dropped it in the rush to get to the forest."

Amos turned back to the Houself with a hard expression. "So you find a wand and decide to have some fun. Is that it? Or did you steal Charlotte Potter's wand?"

"I not be stealing anything!" Winky cried. "I found the wand but I is not knowing how to make the Dark Mark!"

"It wasn't her!" Hermione cried. "The voice we heard wasn't squeaky at all."

"It was a human voice!" Harry added.

"We shall see." Amos held out Charlie's wand and tapped it with his own. _"__**Prior Incantato!"**_

Everyone started as a green skull erupted from the end of the wand. Amos quickly cancelled it and smiled grimly.

"I is a good elf!" Winky sobbed. "I not be doing it!"

"You were caught with the evidence." Amos snapped.

Mr. Weasley shook his head. "Where would an elf learn such a spell?" He tried to reason with Amos.

"I think he's implying that I teach my servants Dark Magic." Barty said coldly.

Amos' eyes grew wide. "Not at all!"

"Have I not spent my life showing how much I despise the Dark Arts? And here you are accusing me of teaching my elf You-Know-Who's tricks! You accuse my elf, you accuse _me!" _

While Amos stumbled over his words Mr. Weasley held up a hand. "Now Winky, where did you find the wand?"

"In the trees," Winky sniffled.

"Perhaps after conjuring the Dark Mark the culprit fled and left the wand behind. Winky was just unfortunate enough to come across it." Mr. Weasley suggested.

Amos looked dubious. "I suppose so. We can-"

Barty interrupted him. "I know you will want to take Winky to your department for questioning. But I ask that you will leave me to deal with her."

Amos frowned but obeyed. Barty moved forwards and towered above the whimpering elf. "Winky has disobeyed me tonight. And I shall not have that. Tonight, she will be receiving clothes."

Winky burst into full-blown sobs. Hermione opened her mouth to protest but Remus laid a warning hand on her shoulder. It was not her place.

Amos handed Charlie back her wand. Mr. Weasley ushered the four kids towards the campsite. Hermione launched into another rant and Charlie swallowed. She felt bad for Winky. From her brief times with the elf she knew that freedom would not suit her at all.

When they got back to the tent Mr. Weasley explained what had happened to Bill, Percy, Charlie Weasley and the twins and Ginny. No one could believe it.

The four kids got cleaned up and Charlie rubbed her sore feet. "What was the point of all of this?"

"To scare us." Harry said simply. "The Roberts family is safe now. They're getting a severe Memory Charm."

Hermione fumed. "I can't believe Mr. Crouch and Mr. Diggory. They shouldn't be treating Houselves like that!"

"I agree with you completely. But not now, okay Hermione?" Charlie said tiredly. Sirius came in to make sure she was alright and sent the two girls to bed.

"You've had a lot of excitement. Now it's time for bed."

Charlie tossed and turned. She thought about her scar, which had burned a few days ago. And now Death Eaters appear and the Dark Mark is conjured. It had to mean something.

And it wouldn't mean anything good.

**Sorry it took so long. It may be summer, but I have one heck of a summer job xD**


	5. Back to Hogwarts

**I do not own Harry Potter. Direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire are in bold. Harry Potter belongs to the wonderful J.K Rowling.**

**Back to Hogwarts**

Charlie was disturbed from her sleep by Hermione. "Come on," she whispered. "You need to wake up. Mr. Weasley is taking us back to the Burrow."

"I've only had three hours of sleep!" Charlie protested. She pushed her tangled raven hair out of her face and tumbled out of bed. "Is the sun even up?"

Hermione shook her head and pulled on her sweater. "Get dressed. I'll help you find your missing shoes. Goodness knows how you could have lost them."

It took a few minutes but they finally found Charlie's scruffy sneakers underneath Hermione's bed. The two girls exited the tent and Mr. Weasley packed it up with a flick from his wand. Ron rubbed his tired eyes and fell into step beside his friends. "If that's how our year is going to start then I'm not looking forward to school."

"Why is it always us?" Harry asked. "Why can't it be Draco and Pansy that get into life-threatening situations?"

"They're normally the ones who put us _in _them." Ron muttered darkly. "I'd like to see them retrieve the Philosopher's Stone or go into the Chamber of Secrets."

"Don't forget facing the Whomping Willow," Harry added. "I got grounded for the first half of the summer because of that."

"Do you _really _think Winky cast the Dark Mark?" Ron asked his friends.

"Of course not! She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Hermione said firmly.

"Like we always are," Charlie mumbled under her breath. Louder she said, "I don't think she did. To be honest, I don't want to meet the person who did. I have a feeling they probably don't like me."

The group eventually reached the spot where all the Portkeys were laid out. Mr. Weasley motioned for them to gather around an old tire and they grabbed hold. Charlie squeezed her eyes shut and didn't open them until they struck solid ground once more.

"Are you alright?" Sirius asked as he helped Charlie to her feet.

"Yeah." Charlie answered honestly. She was a little uneasy about the Dark Mark experience but not frightened. Not yet, anyway. "Did you manage to get any Death Eaters?"

"No. The slimy gits-pardon my language-Disapparated as soon we came charging at them. A few quick Levitation Charms were cast to make sure the Roberts family didn't hurt themselves. I wish I had managed to nab one of them. Especially if that one was Lucius Malfoy."

"Now Sirius," Remus spoke up. "Charlotte already has an antagonistic relationship with Draco Malfoy. Don't go adding more hate than necessary. You have to set an example now and not let your own issues rub onto Charlotte."

Sirius pulled a face. "Am I going to become as responsible as you?"

"I don't think that'll ever be possible."

"Good. Charlie, don't hex Malfoy in public. You can do it when no one is watching, though."

"Sirius!" Remus cried.

Charlie giggled and they rounded the bend. The Burrow was a welcoming sight and so was the figure on the porch.

Mrs. Weasley cried out in relief and rushed to meet them. "I was so worried!" She wailed as she threw herself into Mr. Weasley's arms.

"We're all right, dear." Mr. Weasley soothed.

Dobby came running out of the house next and latched onto Charlie. "Dobby was worried Charlotte Potter was hurt! If Dobby had known Dobby would have come to help!"

"It's okay," Charlie soothed the frantic elf and patted his head. "I'm perfectly fine. I missed you. And I met your friend Winky!"

Dobby brightened. "How is Winky?"

Charlie faltered. "Er...I'll tell you later, okay Dobby?"

Mrs. Weasley let go of Mr. Weasley and trapped the twins in a tight hug. "Oh boys! I was frightened that You-Know-Who had gotten you! What if the last words I said were angry ones?"

"We're fine! Honestly!" Fred protested.

"I can't breathe, Mum!" George wheezed.

It took a while before Mrs. Weasley relinquished her grip. The group went into the house. Dobby went back to making breakfast and Charlie spotted the _Daily Prophet _on the table. The first page story was the attack at the Quidditch World Cup and the appearance of the Dark Mark. Mr. Weasley read the article and from the expression on his face it was clear that he wasn't happy with the content.

"Rita Skeeter," he muttered sourly. "I should have known."

Charlie turned to Ron questioningly. "Rita Skeeter is this reporter for the _Daily Prophet_," Ron explained. "She twists everyone's words and doesn't tell the entire truth. She probably made up some stuff about what went on at the Cup."

"And she's made everything worse." Mr. Weasley said with a sigh. "Molly, I'm off to the office. They're going to need all the help they can get."

"But it's your holiday, Arthur!" Molly protested. "Surely they can handle it without you."

"Rita's made everything worse. It's going to take time and a lot of people to smooth things over."

"I'll come with you." Percy sprang up from his seat. "I'm sure Mr. Crouch could use my help as well."

Fred and George rolled their eyes. The two Ministry workers got up and left to do some damage control.

Ron grabbed a muffin from the table and stood up. "Can we go in my room and eat?" He asked.

"Yes, dear. Try not to get crumbs on the floor." Mrs. Weasley said absent-mindedly.

The four kids headed up to Ron's room. "I have to tell you guys something." Charlie said. "I didn't get a chance to do so earlier with all that's been going on. My scar burned again."

Harry moaned. Ron paled. Hermione looked terrified.

"It only does that when You-Know-Who is around!" Ron said nervously. "But he can't be, can he?"

Charlie shrugged. "I don't believe so. He's still really weak. But remember the prophecy Professor Trelawney made at the end of third year?" She ignored Hermione's disgusted look-the bushy-haired girl didn't hold much respect for the Divination professor. "She said that Voldemort's servant would rejoin him."

"So that means Pettigrew is going to help bring You-Know-Who back to life?" Harry asked anxiously.

"That's what I'm assuming."

"Does this Dark Mark business have anything to do with Voldemort?" Hermione asked.

Charlie bit her lip. "I don't think _he _was involved in it. I think either Pettigrew was or this was one big reunion for the Death Eaters. What concerns me is that I had a dream about Voldemort a few days ago."

"But it was just a dream!" Ron said quickly. "It doesn't mean anything."

"It's all odd." Charlie rested her chin in her hands. "I have this vision/dream of Voldemort and then the Death Eaters put on a big show. Something's not right."

"So does that mean we're not gonna have a quiet year?" Harry asked in dismay.

...

Remus and Sirius stood on the porch. Harry and Charlie were there to see them off. "Will you see us to the Hogwarts Express?" Harry asked his uncle.

"Wouldn't miss it." Remus assured him. "Try not to get in trouble this year, hmm? Especially with the-"

Sirius elbowed him sharply. "And you say I have a big mouth."

Charlie stared. "Especially with what?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Sirius grinned. "Be good and mind Mrs. Weasley."

There was a _pop _a Dobby appeared on the porch. "Sirius Black has forgotten his wand!"

"You _still _lose that thing?" Remus asked in disbelief. "Do we need to tie it to your wrist again?"

Sirius glared at him before smiling at Dobby. "Thank you, Dobby. I wish Kreacher was as helpful as you are..."

Dobby beamed with pleasure and Charlie tilted her head. "Kreacher?"

"He's my Houself, unfortunately. An unpleasant beast-don't tell Hermione I said that. But I have to keep him. He's been in service with the Black family for a long time. The last thing I need is for him to go running off to Narcissa and telling her I got custody of Charlotte Potter. Well, I'll see you soon squirt."

The two men Disapparated and Dobby headed back to finish cleaning the kitchen. Harry scratched his head. "I wonder what the big secret is."

Charlie shrugged. "As long as it isn't life threatening I could care less."

It was late by the time Mr. Weasley and Percy got home. Rita had done more damage than previously thought and Percy went on and on about Mr. Crouch. He and Hermione soon got in a heated debate after Hermione insulted Crouch and his mistreatment of Houselves.

Harry and Charlie sprawled by the fire. Fred and George sat on the couch, working on their 'homework'. Charlie was perusing the new Transfiguration textbook when Hermione suddenly let out an offended squeal.

"Percy never learned when to keep his mouth shut," Fred muttered.

Mrs. Weasley ushered the four children to bed. Hermione was still fuming and so Charlie decided to let her cool down and headed to Ron's room. The redhead was staring at a bundle on his bed in horror. "What's up?"

"Look at this!" Ron cried.

Charlie peered at the item. It was a long maroon robe with mouldy lace cuffs and frill. "Er...is that supposed to be a dress for Ginny?"

"That's what I first thought. But no. They're _my _new dress robes." Ron said furiously.

"Why do you need dress robes?"

"I haven't asked yet."

"Hey guys?" Harry asked as he entered the bedroom. "Do you know why Mrs. Weasley bought me these?"

Ron stared at the dark blue dress robes the boy held out. "Those are fine!" He cried. "Why can't mine be like that?"

Harry blinked at him before staring at Ron's dress robes. He managed to hold back a snort of laughter. "They're not so bad."

Mrs. Weasley chose that moment to enter the room. "I've got some more laundry, dear."

"Why do we need dress robes?" Ron asked instantly.

"It says on the school list you need them. For formal occasions." Mrs. Weasley answered as she put down the laundry basket and sorted out Ron and Harry's clothes.

Charlie had a feeling Mrs. Weasley knew more than what she was letting on. Ron, however, was more interested in why he had crappy dress robes. "Why don't mine look like Harry's?"

"I had to get yours second hand." Mrs. Weasley snapped. "There wasn't much to choose from." In a quick attempt to change the topic Mrs. Weasley removed a glittering forest green dress from the basket. "I picked this out for you Charlotte. It matches your eyes."

"Thanks Mrs. Weasley." Charlie took the dress from her and beamed. "I love it!"

"No trouble at all dear." She finished sorting the clothes and left the bedroom.

Ron scowled. "This sucks."

...

When Charlie awoke the next morning it was to rain splattering against the slanted roof. She got dressed and made sure everything was packed in her trunk. Snowy curled around her ankles and purred. Charlie patted her on the head.

"Another summer, another school year." Charlie murmured. She encountered Harry on the stairs and they started down together.

"_Arthur! Amos Diggory has an urgent message from the Ministry!" _Mrs. Weasley hollered.

Mr. Weasley flew down the stairs. Harry yelped as he was knocked into and slammed into Charlie. The two started to tumble down the few remaining steps but Dobby appeared and caught them in midair before they could hurt themselves.

"Thanks Dobby," Charlie breathed.

"Mistress should be more careful." Dobby said sternly, levitating them down gently.

Charlie patted him on the head fondly before following Harry to the kitchen. She gaped at the sight of Amos Diggory's head floating in the middle of the fire.

"...he was causing such a racket that the Muggle neighbours called those...please-men?"

"Policemen," Charlie corrected softly.

"Yes! They called the policemen and they're over there now-Arthur, you better hurry!"

Mr. Weasley was scribbling everything down.

"It's a miracle I heard about it," Amos continued. "I was sending off a few owls and noticed that the Improper Use of Magic department going mad. He's really done it this time."

"What does Mad-Eye say?" Arthur asked.

"Well, he says that he heard intruders coming up to the house and he attacked them-with dustbins. Rubbish was flying everywhere and the magic was still going when the policemen turned up."

Mr. Weasley sighed. "If Rita gets a hold of this...was the intruder caught?"

"There wasn't even a sign of an intruder. There's probably a poor cat wandering around covered in banana peels. Try to get him off on a minor charge in your department-he won't be let off if the Improper Use of Magic gets their hands on him."

"He didn't use his wand did he?" Arthur asked as he wrote.

"There aren't any casualties to prove if he did."

"I'm off. Have a good and safe term, Charlotte and Harry." Arthur stuffed the parchment in his pocket and took off, hollering goodbyes to his children.

Amos' head disappeared and Charlie turned to Harry. "What was that?"

"It's how we can contact other wizards and witches," Harry explained. "Almost like a telephone."

"Sheesh. You guys have lots of uses for a fireplace, don't you?"

The rest of the kids gathered in the kitchen. Dobby appeared with breakfast and everyone dug in. "Whose Mad-Eye?" Charlie asked.

"He used to work at the Ministry as an Auror-a Dark Wizard catcher. He's retired now." Charlie Weasley explained. "Most of the cells in Azkaban are filled because of him. A lot of the families hate him, though. Mad-Eye's been getting paranoid in his old age. Hopefully this new job will calm him down."

Breakfast was finished and Mrs. Weasley hustled them outside with their trunks. The rain was coming down harder and they got soaked walking to the nearest Post Office. Due to the presence of Muggles Charlie was not allowed to have Dobby come with her. She informed Dobby she would meet him at Hogwarts. Mrs. Weasley called three taxis and they spent a bit of time piling in their trunks. Bill and Charlie Weasley accompanied them.

Charlie helped Mrs. Weasley count out the correct amount of Muggle Money and they all trooped into King's Cross. Water dripped down their jeans and the cats hissed in irritation. Pig made an excited racket and Ron tried desperately to calm him down.

"Finally!" Hermione breathed as they walked onto Platform 9 ¾. The four kids found a compartment to themselves and loaded their luggage in. When they came off the train they noticed that Sirius and Remus had appeared.

"Have a good year, pup." Remus hugged Harry with one arm. "And follow the rules."

Harry grinned. "Don't I always?"

Sirius ruffled Charlie's hair. "No life-threatening situations for you or else."

"I'll try." Charlie said with a mock-sigh of disappointment.

Harry noticed that Remus was hiding something behind his back. "What do you have?"

Remus smiled. "Well, I know your birthday isn't for a few more months, but I figure it would be good for you to have your present now."

Harry gasped when his uncle revealed a beautiful snow-white owl. He had not come to Hogwarts with a pet, as he and his uncle shared an owl and weren't really cat people. "Wow!" He exclaimed. "Thank you so much!"

The owl hooted as Harry carefully stroked her feathers. "She's gorgeous. I love her."

"I'm glad you like. Now you have to send me lots of letters." Remus grinned.

"I will! I'm going to name her Hedwig."

"That's a pretty name." Charlie cooed.

Mrs. Weasley fussed over her children and Charlie Weasley walked up to Charlie. "Well Charlotte, it's been a confusing week of trying to figure out which one of us is being called for, but we made it."

Charlie laughed. "It's been nice meeting you."

Charlie Weasley grinned. "You'll be seeing me sooner than you think."

"Big mouth!" Sirius hollered.

"What's going on at Hogwarts this year?" Harry asked.

"You'll see." Charlie Weasley grinned.

The Golden Quartet said their last goodbyes and climbed onto the train. They settled into their compartment and Ron sighed. "My own brothers won't tell me what's going to happen this year. Bill kept teasing me; he said that he would show up at some point to 'watch a bit of it'."

"Interesting." Hermione mused. She noticed the new pet and smiled. "Oh! Harry, did your uncle get you an owl?"

Harry beamed. "Yup! Isn't she pretty?"

Pig hooted happily and rustled around his cage. Ron rolled his eyes. "Why can't you be still and quiet like-er..."

"Hedwig." Harry introduced.

"Yeah, why can't you behave like Hedwig?"

Pig took no heed and continued zooming around.

"...I was actually considering going to Durmstrang this year. Father knows the Headmaster and that school doesn't let in such riff-raff like Granger." Malfoy's voiced floated through the small open space in the compartment door. "But Mother didn't want me so far away from home. A pity. Durmstrang actually teaches the students how to use Dark Arts and not how to defend ourselves against them."

Charlie leaned over and closed the door. "Too bad. He could have taken Pansy with him."

A few of their friends stopped in on them during the ride. Cho Chang, who was a fellow Ravenclaw Housemate, Susan Bones, Harry's Hufflepuff friend and Neville Longbottom, Ron's fellow Gryffindor.

"Hey guys!" Neville said excitedly. "I heard you went to the Quidditch World Cup. Is it true?"

"Yup." Ron pulled out his miniature Viktor Krum to prove it. "It was wicked."

"I wanted to go. But Gran wouldn't buy the tickets." Neville sighed.

"We even got to see him up close." Ron smiled happily. "We got to sit in the Top Box-"

"The only time that will ever happen to you, Weasley."

Charlie allowed her head to slam onto the compartment table. _They're like the plague. An annoying prejudiced plague._

Draco and Pansy stood in the doorway. "I don't recall asking you to join us." Charlie snapped with her head still on the table.

"Gross! What is that thing?" Pansy shrieked, pointing at Ron's dress robes that were hanging from Pig's cage.

Draco snagged the ugly piece of clothing and laughed. "Pansy! Go get the camera from the stupid Creevey boy! I want to remember this moment."

"Knock it off!" Ron snapped. He grabbed his robes back and stuffed them out of sight.

"I suppose you _would _enter. Your family could use a bit of glory-and the money. You could buy yourself some new dress robes."

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked stiffly.

Pansy grinned widely. "They don't know! Ha! And your father works at the Ministry, Weasley."

"He's not as high up as my father is." Draco smirked. "No one bothers to tell him anything."

Laughing, the two Slytherins left the compartment. Ron turned red and scowled darkly. "At least my father makes an honest living. He doesn't go threatening people or bribing people."

"Your father is a very good man." Hermione agreed.

"Much better than Lucius Malfoy." Harry added.

Ron smiled softly. "Thanks."

The rain didn't let up and was coming down in buckets by the time they reached Hogwarts. The friends protected their pets and hurried to the nearest carriage. They said a quick hello before climbing in. Hermione squeezed the water out of her hair. "I would hate to be a first-year right now."

"I hope they don't drown." Harry cleaned his glasses of water.

Charlie leaned back and smiled. She was at Hogwarts with her three best friends. Even if something bad were to happen, she knew she would be able to handle it if they were by her side.


	6. The Mad MadEye Moody

**I do not own Harry Potter. Direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire are in bold. Harry Potter belongs to the wonderful J.K Rowling.**

**The Mad Mad-Eye Moody**

"Blimey!" Ron coughed as he stumbled into the castle, water dripping from his red hair. "If this keeps up the castle will be flooded!"

"I can't see!" Harry complained, taking off his glasses and squinting. "I wish I had case an _Impervious _on these things."

Charlie took Harry's glasses and scrubbed them clean. She slipped them back on her brother's face. "Better?"

"I can see clearly now, the rain has gone." Harry sang badly. Hermione swatted him on the arm and giggled.

"_Look out below!"_

Ron jumped back as a red water balloon exploded by his feet. Harry ducked behind Hermione and Charlie glanced at the ceiling. Peeves the poltergeist was hovering above the crowd of students with a supply of water balloons. A second year screamed as she got nailed on the head and Peeves cackled.

"Come on Peeves!" Charlie said in exasperation. "We're already soaking wet."

Peeves cast her a grin and continued his assault. He spared Charlie from his wrath and the girl shook her head. "I tried."

"Not very hard." Ron muttered.

The doors leading to the Great Hall burst open and Professor McGonagall stormed out. "Peeves!" She snapped in irritation. "Put those down! I'm warning-"The Transfiguration teacher slipped on the wet floor and grabbed onto Hermione to keep from falling over. "Sorry about that Miss Granger."

"It's alright," Hermione said and gingerly checked her bruised arm.

"The little tykes are already wet!" Peeves cackled. "More water won't make a difference!"

"I will call the Headmaster!" McGonagall threatened.

Peeves made a face before zooming off. McGonagall cleared her throat and the noise quickly settled. "What are you waiting for? Into the Great Hall."

The students grumbled as they trooped through the double doors. Charlie and Hermione separated from their male friends and went to the Ravenclaw table. Ron collapsed beside his brothers at the Gryffindor table and stared at the empty golden plates longingly. Harry slid over to the Hufflepuff table and sighed with relief at being somewhere warm.

"What a trip," Charlie remarked as she pushed her hair away from her face.

Hermione glanced out the windows. "I hope the first years and Hagrid will make it across the river."

"I'm sure they'll be fine." Charlie removed her sneakers and shook out the water. She took in the familiar sight of the Great Hall and noticed Colin Creevey of Gryffindor waving excitedly at her. She smiled and waved back.

"Cute kid," she remarked. Her eyes then strayed to the High Table. "I wonder who our new DADA professor will be."

"Hopefully someone decent like Mr. Lupin," Cho Chang muttered next to her. "He's the best we've ever had."

Charlie grinned and couldn't help but glance at Severus Snape; the Potions Master and Head of Slytherin. He caught her gaze and subtly arched an eyebrow. Charlie smiled innocently and looked away. She didn't receive any hostile feelings from him, so perhaps he had gotten over the whole Sirius/Whomping Willow incident.

The double doors opened and McGonagall entered with a group of soggy, shivering first years. They looked around nervously and some kept their heads down. The smallest boy, covered in Hagrid's large coat, was beaming with delight. He bared a striking resemblance to Colin Creevey.

The stool and the Sorting Hat were brought out. The Sorting Hat sang its song and the Sorting began.

Stewart Ackerly was placed in Ravenclaw. Charlie and Hermione clapped loudly with the rest of their House as the boy stumbled over to them.

A few more names were called out and then Dennis Creevey was next. The little boy eagerly jammed the hat on his head and it only took a few seconds for the Hat to proclaim, "Gryffindor!"

Dennis raced to join his brother and started talking animatedly. Colin beamed and after Dennis had stopped talking started pointing at the Ravenclaw table. Charlie caught Dennis' awed gaze and smiled at him.

"I've got another addition to the Creevey Fan Club," she chuckled.

The Sorting finished and Dumbledore presented the food with flourish. An ecstatic shout from Ron caused everyone (except the Slytherins of course) to laugh as the redhead tackled the various dishes on the table.

"There almost wasn't a feast tonight." The Grey Lady, Ravenclaws House ghost, said softly. "Peeves started causing trouble in the kitchens. The poor Houselves almost didn't finish on time."

Hermione froze with her fork over her mashed potatoes. Charlie pressed a hand to her forehead. "Here we go..."

"Houselves work here?" Hermione asked in shock.

"Of course. Hogwarts has the largest number of Houselves in their employ. You rarely see them, of course. They normally stay in the kitchens and come out at night to clean."

"They got holidays and pay, right?" Hermione pressed.

The Grey Lady stared in surprise. "No, dear. Houselves don't need holidays or pay."

Hermione pushed her plate away stubbornly. Charlie shook her head and popped a piece of roast beef in her mouth. "Going on a hunger strike won't solve anything." She warned.

The bushy-haired girl's plate remained untouched.

Dumbledore rose to his feet once more and the chatter stopped. "Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts! There are just a few notices that need to be addressed. Mr. Filch has added a few more items that are forbidden from the castle this year. If you would like to see the full list you may do so in Mr. Filch's office. The Forbidden Forest is off limits to everyone-"Here he cast a glance at the Golden Quartet. "-and no one below third year may go to Hogsmeade.

"I must also inform you that the Quidditch Cup will not be taking place this year."

Outraged shouts from the Quidditch players rocked the Hall. Charlie stared at him in dismay. No Quidditch?

Dumbledore held up his hands for silence. "There will be another event taking its place. I assure you that you will enjoy it very much. It will start in October and will be continuing for the rest of the school year. Hogwarts will have the honour of hosting-"

The rest of the sentence was drowned out as the double doors banged open. Charlie and Hermione jumped and clung to each other as a man with dark grey hair stood in the doorway. He made his way into the Hall, a _clunk _sounding with every other step. Hermione stifled a gasp at his gnarled and scarred facial features.

Charlie stared at his eyes. One was small and beady and the other was large and electric blue. It whizzed around and seemed to be looking at everyone-even people who were sitting behind him. He approached Dumbledore and shook his hand.

"Please don't tell me he's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," Cho moaned.

The man took the seat designated for said professor. Dumbledore smiled at them all. "Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." He informed. "Professor Moody!"

Charlie and Hermione clapped to be polite but quickly stopped when they realized only Hagrid and Dumbledore were clapping with them. Charlie leaned in towards Hermione. "As in Mad-Eye Moody?"

"I believe so," she whispered back. "That Auror job really took a lot out of him, didn't it?"

Charlie glanced back up and studied the new professor. He removed a flask from his pocket and took a drink from it. The rest of the teachers were staring at him much like the students were-although Snape's gaze held the utmost loathing.

_He doesn't really like anybody, does he? _Charlie thought with slight amusement.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "As I was saying, Hogwarts has the honour of hosting the Triwizard Tournament!"

"NO WAY!" Fred and George cried.

"Yes way." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Of course, some of you may not know what the Triwizard Tournament is. I hope those of you who do know will forgive my short explanation. The Triwizard Tournament was started many centuries ago as a friendly competition between the three biggest European schools-Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. A champion is selected to represent each school and those three champions competed in a series of tasks. Each school took turns hosting the Tournament. It was a great way of forming close ties between the schools. Unfortunately the death toll grew so high that it was discontinued."

Charlie and Hermione stared at each other. Their worry was not shared by many; most of the students were chatting excitedly about the Tournament. Dumbledore spoke over the excited babble. "After many tries our own Department of Magical Games and Sports have decided that it would be a good time to try again. Much time has been taken to ensure no champion finds themselves in mortal danger.

"The Beauxbatons and Durmstrang Heads will arrive with their selection of students in October. On Halloween the champions will be revealed. The winner shall receive the Triwizard Cup, a thousand Galleons prize money and eternal glory."

The chatter started up again and Charlie crossed her arms. "No way. I've had enough brushes with death to last me a lifetime."

"Me too," Hermione muttered. "Although I bet Ron will sign up. I hope he knows what he's getting himself into."

Before they could worry for the safety of their best friend Dumbledore spoke once more. "I'm afraid I have to deliver bad news for some of you; the Ministry of Magic and the schools have decided that only students who are of age-seventeen or older-may participate. The tasks will be difficult and dangerous and I believe only sixth and seventh year students will be able to cope with them. Do not waste your time in submitting your name if you are underage-I will ensure that no one can fool our impartial judge in choosing you as a champion."

The last of the angry mutters died out. "Our guests will arrive in October and I know you will extend them courtesy and show your support for the Hogwarts champion. Ah, how time flies. It is quite late and you all have your first classes tomorrow. Off to bed."

Everyone stood up and filed out of the Hall. Ron fell into step beside Charlie and Hermione and Harry joined them. "Fred and George are furious. They're already trying to find ways to get into the Tournament."

"Are you going to join them?" Harry asked.

"Maybe." Ron smiled dreamily. "It would be nice to win the money. How about you guys?"

"No way." Harry said flatly. "Uncle Remus would _kill _me."

Hermione shook her head. "I have my studies to focus on."

"And I refuse to taunt Death again." Charlie added. "But if you somehow manage to become the champion, we're totally with you."

Ron beamed.

...

Although the sky was grey the storm had disappeared the following morning. Hermione was still on her hunger strike but Charlie pointed out that she could eat the fruit. Houselves didn't make fruit.

Hermione munched on an apple as she reviewed her schedule. "We have Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and Care of Magical Creatures is a mixed class so we only have to deal with a few Slytherins. We also have Ancient Runes in the afternoon."

"And right after that I have Divination." Charlie said with a sigh. "I can't believe I still kept that."

"You can still drop it."

"Yeah, but Ron and Harry probably wouldn't forgive me if I did that. And surprisingly, it's an easy class. Just make stuff up and we get a decent mark." Charlie folded up her schedule.

Hermione and Charlie met up with Harry and they headed for the greenhouses. Professor Sprout demonstrated how to collect the pus from the ugliest plants Charlie had ever seen.

"Harry!" Charlie finally cried after struggling with her Bubotuber. "I need assistance!"

Herbology wasn't her strongest subject.

Harry helped her out and all the pus was put into vials. The bell rang and they all trooped out. Ron met his three friends at Hagrid's cabin. "What did you do in Herbology?" He asked.

"Collecting pus," Hermione informed him.

"Fantastic," he muttered in disgust.

"Hey Hagrid!" Charlie greeted. "What are we doing today?"

"Blast-Ended Skrewts." Hagrid answered proudly. "Jus' got 'em this mornin'."

Charlie cautiously peered into the crates. A warped, shell-less lobster with many legs greeted her. "Uh...are they safe?"

"O' course they are!"

Gradually other students joined them. Draco and Pansy turned their noses up and Hagrid instructed them to feed the beasts.

"It doesn't even have a mouth!" Ron hissed.

"Mine has a stinger!" Harry squeaked.

"You think that's bad? Mine has some sucking thingies on the belly!" Charlie groaned.

Ron gingerly pressed some frog liver towards his Skrewt. He let out a yelp of pain and scrambled backwards. "I'm hit! It got me! Man down!"

Hagrid rushed up towards them and inspected Ron. "Wha' happened?"

"Its backside exploded!"

"Oh, it'll do that." Hagrid nodded. "Nothin' teh worry abou'."

Ron stared after the large man. "We have to stand a whole year of these things?" He whined.

"How about we stomp on the lot of them and blame Malfoy?" Charlie suggested. Hermione shot her a glare and Charlie held her hands up. "Just kidding!"

"These things are going to grow to about six feet long." Hermione moaned as class ended. They headed for the Great Hall and Ron rubbed his stinging hand. "It'll be a miracle if we survive this class."

They entered the Hall and went to their respective tables. Hermione started chewing down food so fast Charlie paused to watch. "Er...does this mean the hunger strike is over?"

"I've come up with a different idea." She mumbled. "I have to get to the library."

Charlie stared as Hermione took off after eating about three sandwiches. "Okay. I guess I'll see you later."

...

Divination.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Charlie grumbled as she climbed to the North Tower. The perfume-scented room still gave her a headache. "Can we all just drop out?"

"No way. This class is hilarious." Ron protested.

They took their usual table and Professor Trelawney started the lesson. She started talking about the planets and the stars and how Saturn shone over Charlie the day she was born. Soon they all had to determine where the planets were on the day of their birth.

Harry stared at his timetables and list of calculations. "I don't believe this. The moon was at its highest the day I was born."

Ron grinned. "Was it a full moon?"

"Very funny."

The class went by fast as it normally did. Charlie, Ron and Harry always found a way to keep themselves amused. The bell rang and they headed down for dinner. Malfoy and Parkinson were there and immediately started to antagonize Ron about an article Rita Skeeter had wrote about his father.

Charlie told them both to stuff it and Ron made a crack at Pansy's blood heritage. They turned their backs and Ron felt something warm brush by his cheek. Draco's curse had just missed him and Pansy's was way off the mark. It shot over Charlie's head and slammed into the ceiling of the Entrance Hall. Before Ron and Charlie could grab their wands to defend themselves a voice shouted over the panicked babble.

"I DON'T THINK SO!"

The entire Entrance Hall watched in shock and awe as Mad-Eye Moody limped down the staircase, his wand up. Draco and Pansy turned into ferrets right in front of their eyes.

"Wicked!" Harry breathed as the white-blonde ferret bounced across the Entrance Hall.

"Brilliant," Ron agreed as the sleek black ferret started twirling in the air.

"Did they get you?" Mad-Eye asked the two gruffly.

Ron and Charlie shook their heads. "He just missed."

"And Pansy has terrible aim," Charlie added.

"LEAVE THEM BE!"

Ron jumped. "Leave what be?"

"**Not you.** Them." Moody gestured over his shoulder. His magical eye was peering through the back of his head and Charlie could see Crabbe and Goyle standing over the two ferrets. They reluctantly drew back their hands and glared at the professor.

The ferrets squealed in terror and raced off. Moody pointed his wand at them and started bouncing them again. "Trying to curse someone when their back is turned, eh? A cowardly, slimy, _Slytherin _thing to do."

"Professor Moody?" McGonagall asked curiously as she headed down the stairs. "What are you doing?"

"Good evening, Professor McGonagall." Moody said calmly. "I'm just teaching a lesson."

McGonagall let out a shriek of horror and raced down the few remaining steps. "Are those _students_?"

"Maybe." Moody said evasively.

McGonagall flicked her wand and Draco and Pansy crumpled to the floor, panting heavily. "You never use Transfiguration as a punishment! Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that."

Moody shrugged. "He might have."

"You give detentions or speak to their Head of House!"

"Ah yes. Snape, correct?" Moody glowered at the two Slytherins. "I've been meaning to have a chat with him. Come on."

He grabbed the two by their arms and dragged them off. McGonagall stared after them for a moment before shooing everyone into the Great Hall. Ron closed his eyes.

"That was the greatest moment of my life."

**I couldn't leave out the ferret part xD I always loved that scene; in the books and in the movie. **

**How am I doing so far? Am I leaving out too much?**


	7. Hermione's Mission

**I do not own Harry Potter. Direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire are in bold. Harry Potter belongs to the wonderful J.K Rowling.**

**Hermione's Mission**

Charlie loomed over Ron, her arms crossed and an exasperated expression on her face. "You're the one who was so excited for Defense Against the Dark Arts." She pointed out as Ron continued to stuff his face full of food. "If you don't get your butt in gear we're going to be stuck in the back of the classroom."

"Coming," Ron said thickly. He shoved one more piece of garlic bread in his mouth before getting to his feet. "Thanks for waiting. Where's Hermione?"

"At the library." Charlie answered. "We'll save her a seat. Trying to convince Hermione to leave the library is too much work. Besides, she's never been late for a class. Well, _almost _never."

The two waved to Harry at the Hufflepuff table and headed for class. They got there in time and found a table with three seats in the front. Ron and Charlie claimed their spots and Ron sent an apologetic look towards Neville-the third chair was reserved for Hermione.

The bushy-haired girl rushed in a few minutes before the bell. By then most of the seats were filled up. Her upset look soon vanished when she spotted Charlie motioning her over. "You saved me a seat! Thanks! I was in the library and I just lost track of time you see-"

"We know," Ron interrupted. "You're _always _in the library."

Before Hermione could retort the bell rang and there was the tell-tale _clunk, clunk _of the approaching Mad-Eye Moody. The elderly man came to the front of the class and glanced at the register. His beady eye stayed on the parchment but his magical eye stared at each student as they declared themselves.

"No need for books," Moody said gruffly, waving the textbooks away. "Won't be needing them."

Ron grinned widely. "This is getting off to a good start," he whispered.

"I've got one year," Moody announced sharply. "I've got one year to get you caught up on curses. Professor Lupin did well on teaching you the basics on Boggarts and such, but I'm here to tell you what wizards can do to each other."

"Wait, wait." Ron frowned. "You're only staying for a year?"

Moody turned to stare at Ron. The redhead flushed and nervously stared back. After a moment Moody smiled-and although it didn't make his face look any better, it was nice to know he was capable of doing something friendly.

"Got called in as a favour to Dumbledore." He answered. "After this, it's back to retirement. Now, curses. There are many of them and they all range in strength. The Ministry believes I should just teach you the counter-curse and leave it at that. They think you shouldn't know what Dark curses look like until you're in your sixth year. I disagree. And so does Professor Dumbledore. We both believe you can handle them. And what good will it do if you're not prepared to defend yourself against something you've never seen?"

His magical blue eyes swiveled towards Lavender. "Is passing notes more important than my lesson, Miss Brown?"

Lavender turned red and quickly scrunched up a piece of parchment she had been in the process of passing. It seemed that Moody's magical eye could also see through solid wood.

"**Do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by wizarding law?**" Moody asked, his magical eye still trained on Lavender.

Several nervous hands rose into the air. Moody nodded at Ron. The redhead swallowed. "My father told me about the Imperius Curse," he answered hesitantly.

"You'd be Arthur Weasley's son, wouldn't you? Yes, I can tell by the hair. Your father would know about that curse. It gave the Ministry a lot of trouble many years ago."

_During the First Wizarding War, no doubt. _Charlie thought warily. She had a feeling she wouldn't like the direction this lesson would be heading.

Moody retrieved a glass jar from behind his desk. Three fat black spiders scuttled around. Ron latched immediately on Charlie's arm, his blue eyes growing wide in panic.

Moody removed one of the spiders and placed it in his palm. He then pointed his wand at it and said, _"Imperio!"_

The spider jumped up and began to do a tap dance. Moody used his wand to control the spider, making it dance, jump and spin around the room. Everyone started laughing (with the exception of Ron, who continued to hold onto Charlie in a death grip) and Charlie only managed a few giggles before the realization struck.

The Imperius curse could brainwash a person. It could make anyone do the caster's bidding. Who knew what horrors Voldemort had used the Imperius Curse for?

Moody then forced the spider to dangle over the glass of water. "Miss Potter has got it," he said softly as everyone immediately stopped laughing. "She knows the severity of the spell. What it can make a person do. It wouldn't be so funny if I did it to you. If I made you drown yourself. If I made you kill your dearest friends."

Charlie closed her eyes.

"It takes real strength to fight off an Imperius. Not everyone has the ability, but I'll try and teach you. It's better to try and avoid it if you can. **CONSTANT VIGILANCE!**"

The spider was brought to safety and the curse was cancelled. Moody placed the spider back in the jar. "Who can name another one?"

Hermione's hand shot into the air. Neville's did as well, with some reluctance. Charlie stared at him curiously. She didn't know Neville well, but from what Ron told her the only subject he seemed to excel in was Herbology. Moody nodded at Neville.

"The Cruciatus Curse," he answered softly.

"Longbottom, isn't it?" Moody asked.

Neville nodded. Moody pulled out another spider. "Needs to be a bit bigger," he muttered to himself. **"**_**Engorgio!"**_

The spider swelled until it was larger than a tarantula. Ron paled and shoved his chair back. The grip he had on Charlie's arm tightened. Moody pointed his wand at the spider. **"**_**Crucio!"**_

The spider turned over, rolling into ball and twitching. Charlie knew it would be screaming in agony if it could. The spider started to jerk more violently.

Ron turned his attention away. His gaze fell on Neville, who was deathly white, clutching his desk and looked ready to throw up. Despite the terror Ron felt at the sight of such a large spider he managed to croak, "Knock it off! It's bothering him!"

Moody stared at Ron for only a brief moment before looking at Neville. The wand was instantly jerked away from the spider. Moody shrank the spider back to normal size and put it back in the jar. "The best way to get information out of someone," he whispered, "even the strongest of wizards and witches, is pain. You don't need knives when you have the Cruciatus Curse."

Neville went limp in his seat, eyes blank and his lips quivering.

"Anyone know the last one?"

Charlie could feel her heart pounding. Hermione eyed her in concern as she raised her hand. Moody nodded at her. Not taking her eyes off of her best friend, Hermione answered carefully, "The killing curse. _**Avada Kedavra.**_"

Moody silently removed the last spider. He raised his wand. **"**_**Avada Kedavra.**_**"**

There was a flash of green light and a sound that Charlie could only describe as rushing death. The spider died instantly. Moody swept the spider off of the desk. Charlie was distracted from her horror when Ron nearly tore her arm out of its socket in his attempt to get away from the dead arachnid. "My arm!" Charlie hissed. "Ron, _you're going to break my arm_."

"Sorry," Ron said hastily and quickly let go, his face red. Charlie rubbed her bruised arm and stared at the dead spider.

"There's no defense against the killing curse." Moody said softly. "Nothing can stop it. There's only one known person to have survived it. And she's in this room with us."

All eyes strayed towards Charlie. She swallowed hard. It was sad, knowing her parents had died without having a chance to defend themselves. All they had seen was that green light and all they had heard was rushing death.

But _why_? Why had she survived the killing curse? Was her mother's love really so powerful as to save her?

_Apparently so._ Charlie resisted the urge to touch her scar.

Moody was speaking again. "The killing curse takes a lot of power. Power none of you have. But that doesn't matter. I'm not here to teach you the killing curse. I'm here to _show _you. You need to know what you may be up against. Constant vigilance!" He shouted again, and Charlie decided that it must be his motto.

"The Avada Kedavra, Imperius and Cruciatus are all known as the Unforgivable Curses. The use of even one of them on a fellow human will get you a life sentence in Azkaban. I'm going to teach you how to fight. Get your quills out."

The rest of class was spent copying notes. The bell rang and everyone filed out silently. The second they entered the corridor everyone started talking about what they had just learnt. Charlie did trace her scar this time.

_Thanks, Mom. Thanks Dad. I'll make you proud. I promise._ Charlie thought determinedly. Her parents sacrifice had saved her. She was not going to take that lightly.

"Neville!" Ron called, startling Charlie from her thoughts.

The boy was standing in an empty corridor, his expression blank. The three walked over to him. "Are you okay?" Hermione asked in concern.

"Fine!" Neville squeaked, sounding uncharacteristically peppy. "Perfectly fine. That was one heck of a lesson, wasn't it? You know, I'm hungry. I wonder-"

Neville continued to babble and Charlie was about to interrupt when she spotted Professor Moody limping towards them. He surveyed them all-and Charlie had to admit that Hermione had fared the lesson better than the rest of them. Ron was still pale due to his fear of spiders, Charlie was still reeling from the revelation of the killing curse and Neville couldn't stop his nervous talking.

"I know it seems harsh," Moody said in a gentle growl. "But you _need _to know. It won't do you any good pretending these curses don't exist. Longbottom, why don't you come with me for a cup of tea? I have some books on Herbology that might interest you."

Neville cast a nervous look at Charlie, Ron and Hermione before going to stand beside Professor Moody. Moody stared at Charlie. "Are you alright, lass?"

Charlie smiled softly. "I'm fine, sir."

Moody nodded at her and the two left. The three made their way towards their Common Rooms. "That was nice of him," Charlie remarked. "Wanting to cheer Neville up like that."

Ron shook his head. "I don't think Neville feels the same way. Did you see his face?"

"He'll be fine," Charlie assured the redhead. "I'll meet you in Divination."

Charlie and Hermione separated from Ron and went to their Ravenclaw Common Room. "Do you think the Ministry will find out that Moody taught us the Unforgivable Curses?" Charlie asked.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't think they can really do anymore then give him a slap on the wrist. He used the curses on spiders, not people. And he's not trying to persuade us to use them. Besides, Dumbledore said it was okay. Even if Moody does get in trouble, Dumbledore will fix the situation. He always does."

"I suppose so," Charlie agreed. They approached the Eagle knocker and answered the riddle. They were granted entrance and they headed up the spiral staircase. They grabbed the books they needed and headed for class.

"Have fun in Divination," Hermione teased before departing. Charlie rolled her eyes and reluctantly walked towards the North Tower. She ran into Neville on the way and she noticed he was carrying a Herbology book on water-plants.

"Did Professor Moody give you that?" Charlie asked.

Neville beamed. "He did. Sprout told him how much I liked Herbology and we had a little talk. He's really cool."

Charlie smiled. She was glad Neville was feeling better.

The two climbed up the ladder and entered the perfume-scented atmosphere. Charlie went to her usual table and sat between Harry and Ron. Her brother reached into his bag and pulled out a book. "I ran into Hermione on the way here. She forgot to give this to you and gave it to me." Harry shook his head. "She actually wants us to review this during Divination class."

"She really doesn't like Trelawney," Charlie laughed. She studied the book cover. "Wait-this is a book on telepathy!"

"Hermione wants us to work on our connection." Harry opened the book and scanned the first page.

"Read it aloud," Ron urged. He had never heard of wizards that could communicate with their minds and was intrigued.

"_Telepathy is only possible if you share a bond with another wizard or witch. It must be a Marital Bond, Paternal Bond or a Sibling Bond. To develop telepathy takes patience and willingness." _Harry glanced up. "Are we patient and willing?"

Charlie grinned. "Yup. What's the first step?"

"_Developing the bond you have even further makes accomplishing telepathy a much easier task. Take a day off and spend it with the person you hold a bond with. Build up trust. Try not to get into any stressful arguments or do anything to strain the bond. Stay calm and-"Harry_ broke off and glanced up from the book. "I gotta spend time with you?"

Charlie punched him in the shoulder while Ron laughed. "Hilarious. Well, if that's step one, then me and you are spending Saturday together."

Ron was amused. "Whenever I try to bond with my siblings, it ends up with one of us with a black eye."

"Oh great." Harry muttered. He pushed the book aside. "Alright, we got our first step. If I read ahead I'm gonna forget everything anyways. Let's start making up some predictions."

"The more despair, misery and pain, the better." Charlie reminded him and picked up her quill.

"And death," Ron added."Lots and lots of death."

...

Hermione wasn't present at dinner. Charlie grabbed an extra roast beef sandwich and found the bushy-haired girl sitting on one of the squashy blue chairs in front of the fireplace. "Hey, Hermione. I brought you some dinner."

"Thanks," Hermione said gratefully and took the sandwich. The book she had been reading was set aside. Charlie glanced at the cover.

_History of Houselves._

"Charlie," Hermione said suddenly. "I have something to show you."

She grabbed a small wooden box from the side table and opened it. Inside were dozens and dozens of coloured badges. In bronze were the letters S.P.E.W. "I just finished them today." Hermione said proudly. "I'm going to give them out tomorrow at breakfast."

Charlie nervously eyed them. "What does S.P.E.W. stand for?"

"Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare."

_Oh, Merlin._

"I can't believe no one's been doing anything about elf enslavement until now." Hermione said. "I've been doing loads of research. Our goal is to help the Houselves get wages and to be treated with kindness and respect. And eventually, freedom."

Charlie rubbed her forehead. "Hermione, the Houselves like being enslaved."

"Dobby doesn't." Hermione retorted. "We just have to use him as an example to persuade the other Houselves they're being treated rotten. Now, I was thinking two Sickles to join. It'll get any future members a badge and the money will go to our funds to promote S.P.E.W. and its goals. Ron can be treasurer, Harry can be secretary, you can be our spokesperson and I'll manage everything."

Charlie stared at the box in Hermione's hands and silently pulled out two Sickles. Hermione beamed and handed over a badge.

Other Ravenclaws started to file into the Common Room. Charlie hastily said goodnight to Hermione before rushing to her dormitory. As much as she wanted to support Hermione, she didn't agree with all of S.P.E.W.'s goals. She would make Hermione see reason soon enough.

Charlie got into her pajamas and climbed into bed. "I can't wait to see Ron and Harry's face when Hermione gives them a badge," she whispered tiredly before falling asleep.


	8. Welcome, Guests!

**I do not own Harry Potter. Direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire are in bold. Harry Potter belongs to the wonderful J.K Rowling.**

**Welcome, Guests!**

When Charlie joined Hermione in the Common Room the following morning the girl was clutching her box of badges. "Did you have any luck last night?" Charlie asked carefully.

Hermione smiled. "Five more joined! Of course, it may not seem like a lot, but all organizations start out small before growing."

Charlie had a feeling those five only joined to shut Hermione up. The two girls walked to the Great Hall and Charlie headed straight for the Ravenclaw table. Hermione, however, headed for the Hufflepuff table. Harry spotted the approaching Hermione and put his fork down. The bushy-haired girl opened her box and started talking. Charlie watched in amusement as Harry's expression became one of barely concealed horror.

Ron also noticed this exchange. His gaze flickered to Charlie nervously. Charlie glanced around her table and noticed that Cho was wearing one of Hermione's badges (and didn't look too happy about it). "Can I borrow this?"

Cho ripped the eyesore from her blue robes. "Please. Take your time."

Charlie smiled sympathetically. "I'm afraid I only need it for a few seconds." She dug a piece of parchment out of her bag and scribbled a note on it. Then she attached the badge to the note. Now, how was she going to give this to Ron without Hermione catching her?

Snowy strutted into the Hall and approached her master. Charlie grinned and scratched her behind the ears. "You know cats aren't allowed in the Great Hall." She chided gently. "But you came just in time. Can you deliver this to Ron, please?"

Snowy took the note and trotted off to the redhead. Ron took the note and read it. His looked even more horrified than Harry, who was now trying to convince Hermione that her organization had the wrong goals.

As Hermione started arguing with Harry Ron slowly got up. He grabbed an armful of food and snuck out of the Hall. Harry watched him go with a look of jealousy. Hermione didn't notice.

Snowy came back and Charlie snapped the badge in half. "Whoops," she said innocently. "It broke. And you don't have any more Sickles on you, right?"

Cho was smiling so brightly Charlie thought she would go blind. "I'm completely broke." She agreed and tossed the broken pieces of the badge under the table.

Hermione stormed over and Cho hastily took her leave. "Harry refused to buy a badge!" She hissed. "I can't believe him! And Ron isn't here. I'm going to go see if I can find him." She grabbed a muffin and took off.

"Godspeed, Ron." Charlie muttered, spearing a sausage. "Godspeed."

...

"Today I will be showing you what the Imperius Curse feels like. I'm going to be putting it on each of you. Professor Dumbledore believes you should _know_, and I agree."

"But yesterday you said that was illegal!" Ron protested. He had sat as far away from Hermione and her badges as he could.

"Ah, but you would rather learn when a Dark Wizard has you cornered and uses it so they have complete control? Or would you rather learn right here where you know I will take it off in minutes and you will be unharmed?"

Ron flushed and ducked his head. Moody cleared a space in the middle of the room. Hermione looked apprehensive.

Charlie watched as her classmates danced, jumped, sang and hopped all over the room. Hermione was forced to do a cartwheel and Ron was forced to stand on his head. Charlie was next.

She got up and stood in the middle of the empty space. Moody raised his wand. "_Imperio!"_

Her mind went completely blank. Her body relaxed. There was not a worry within her. She was completely happy. It felt great.

_Hop in a circle on one foot._

Charlie lifted one leg.

_Hop in a circle on one foot._

But for what reason?

The voice came from another part in her brain. It was overriding the other one that was telling her to blindly follow Moody's every command. Charlie could not help but agree with the reasonable voice. Why should she do such a ridiculous thing? What was the point?

_Hop in a circle on one foot._

I don't think so. I don't feel like it.

_HOP! NOW!_

Sudden pain exploded in Charlie's ankle. She had started to hop in obedience and at the same time tried to prevent herself by twisting her foot when it started to hop. She fell to the ground and held her sprained ankle.

"That's how to do it!" Moody roared. "Did you see her hesitance? She was _thinking_. She fought the curse. And she nearly beat it. Very good, Potter. We're going to do it a few more times. Everyone watch."

Charlie got carefully to her one good foot. _I thought he said we would be unharmed? _She thought warily.

She was put through the curse three more times. In addition to a sprained ankle she got a few more bruises and a bloody nose. But she managed to throw the curse off entirely.

"Well," she said dryly as she hobbled out of the classroom. "At least I know I can successfully defend myself against the Imperius Curse."

"How do you do it?" Ron asked. He was still skipping from the effects of the curse and Moody assured him that they would wear off eventually.

"I just...did. I knew that what Professor Moody was asking me to do was ridiculous and not what _I _wanted to do. So I fought it with reasonable thinking."

"Wicked," he breathed.

"Now, Ron-"Hermione began.

"No." Ron said firmly. "I am not going to buy a badge."

"So you support Houself abuse?" Hermione snapped. Charlie groaned.

"Hermione, not every Houself is treated like dirt. It's the old-fashioned wizards like the Malfoy family that do so. Most of the witches and wizards treat their Houselves right. And sure, you get the odd one like Dobby that wants to be free. But the majority of them _don't want that_." Ron explained. "You need to understand."

Hermione harrumphed and stormed down the corridor. Charlie shook his head. "I feel sorry for those poor creatures. Hermione is going to disrupt their already-established lifestyle."

A few Slytherins passed and they laughed at Ron. "Charlie, I can't stop skipping!" He hissed, face red. "This is humiliating."

"Well, what do you want me to do? Carry you to Divination?"

Ron's expression was a mixture of embarrassment and hope. Charlie groaned. "Oh, fine. But you owe me one. Hop on."

Piggy-back style, Charlie carried Ron halfway to Divination before her sore ankle threatened to collapse. Her nose had stopped bleeding a while ago. "Okay," she panted. "You need to lay off the dessert."

"I'm a growing boy." Ron said defensively. "I need to eat!"

Harry encountered the duo and arched an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

"Oh good. Your turn." Charlie dropped Ron to the ground the redhead took a few experimental steps. He was still skipping.

Baffled, Harry carried Ron the rest of the way. The redhead was able to climb the ladder and they collapsed at their usual table. "Did I ever tell you guys that you're the best?"

Harry and Charlie rolled their eyes. Once more Divination was spent making the following week's predictions. A few minutes before the bell Professor Trelawney handed back the first set of predictions. Harry, Ron and Charlie were amused to see that they had gotten perfect.

"These three have the makings of true Seers." Trelawney said proudly. "They accepted the horrors in their lives with acceptance. That is very admirable. Ten points each!"

"That's good and all but I'm running out of ways to die." Ron whispered.

Potions was more or less the same as it had been in previous years. The only difference was that Professor Snape did not go out of his way to make Charlie's life miserable. After all, Potions was one of her best subjects.

Ron's skipping had worn off in time for Care of Magical Creatures. The four friends stood a good distance away from the Blast-Ended Skrewts. "They're getting bigger!" Harry hissed.

"But we don't even know what they eat!" Ron said in bewilderment.

Draco and Pansy stood a few feet away. Ever since the ferret incident they had resorted to biting insults rather than hexes and curses.

Charlie wondered if it would last long.

Class ended and everyone filed back for the castle. When they arrived at the Entrance Hall there was a crowd of students around the bulletin board. "What's up?" Charlie asked.

Neville pointed to a piece of parchment.

**TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT**

_**The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving at six o'clock on Friday 30**__**th**__** of October. Lessons will end half an hour early. **_

_**Students will return their bags and books to their dormitories and assemble in front of the castle to greet our guests before the Welcoming Feast.**_

"Well, there goes Snape's plan to poison us." Harry commented. "Good thing. I haven't gotten a handle on those antidotes yet. Gee, I wonder if Cedric knows."

Ron wrinkled his nose. "Who cares if he knows or not?"

"He's going to put his name in for Champion."

"That loser?" Ron laughed. "Hogwarts Champion?"

"Hey!" Harry snapped. "He's a nice guy. Sometimes he helps me out with Charms and History of Magic. And he's in my House. So please, lay off."

Ron turned red. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Harry smiled to show he wasn't mad. "Come on. We got some homework to do."

"Ugh." Ron muttered.

...

When Harry climbed out of the barrel that led to the Hufflepuff Common Room he was startled to find Charlie waiting for him. "How long have you been there?"

"Not long," she answered. She handed her brother a bacon sandwich. "Come on."

Harry followed her. "Er, where are we going?"

"Today is Saturday." Charlie reminded him.

"Oh yeah. Bonding day." Harry grinned and took a bite of his breakfast. "So, dear sister, what's first on the agenda?"

"We're going to eat outside."

"But it's cold!" Harry protested. "Fall in Scotland isn't exactly warm, you know."

"We're wearing sweaters." Charlie said dismissively. They walked past the cozy Great Hall and walked out into the chilly morning.

Harry sprawled on the grass by the lake and Charlie sat beside him. "Has Hermione tried pushing her badges on you again?" Charlie asked as she tossed bits of her breakfast to the Giant Squid.

"Yes. And my answer is still the same. Although I'm worried she might stop talking to me."

"Well, I'll talk some sense into her if she decides to give you the silent treatment. Ron hasn't agreed to a badge either."

Harry shook his head. "Her intentions are good, but it's just not what the Houselves want."

"I know. She'll understand that eventually." Charlie took off her shoes and stuck her feet in the water.

"Are you crazy?" Harry asked. "Your feet are going to fall off!"

"It's not that cold." Charlie said. She picked up a stone and started skipping it across the water.

Harry watched in interest. "How do you do that?"

"You flick your wrist." Charlie demonstrated. Her stone skipped across the water's surface five times before gently sinking.

Harry picked up a stone and tossed it. It landed in the water ungracefully and sunk to the bottom. Charlie giggled. Harry scowled and tried a few more times.

"I did it!" Harry cheered on his tenth attempt. It skipped across the water just as the Giant Squid surfaced. The stone hit the poor creature in the eye and Harry yelped in panic. He threw the rest of his sandwich in as an apology and raced off with Charlie hot on his heels. They barely managed to avoid the swinging tentacles.

"Smooth," Charlie panted when they stopped by the greenhouses. "I've been nearly killed many times before. How would it look in the _Daily Prophet_? _Chosen Girl perished from attack from Giant Squid_."

Harry laughed. "I don't know how I would explain that to Sirius. You get to move in with him after school is done, right?"

Charlie hesitated. "Yeah. But I have to spend two weeks at my relatives every summer until I graduate."

Harry felt the pang of sadness that consumed Charlie. "Are your relatives really that bad?"

"Well, they're definitely not going to get any nominations for guardians of the year." Charlie said dryly. "My entire life, they pretended I didn't exist. I was nothing more than a slave to them. I got Dudley's old clothes, his broken toys and I got punished for being better than Dudley. I lived in a cupboard for eleven years of my life. I didn't _have _a childhood."

"You should report them!" Harry insisted, feeling angry at the Dursleys for treating his sister like dirt. "What they did to you is child abuse!"

Charlie swallowed. She was aware of that. "If I do that, then I'll be taking them away from Dudley."

"So? From what you've told me he's just as bad as his parents."

"But it's not entirely his fault. His parents spoiled him. They didn't teach him the proper morals, the proper values. He was given everything he ever wanted. He never had to work. So he believed he could get away with anything. And he does." Charlie shrugged. "His parents may have doted on him, but they gave him a great disservice as well. But they love him. He loves them. I'm not going to tear a family apart. I put up with it. I can continue to put up with it."

"But what do you owe them?" Harry asked.

_But what do you owe them?_

A question she had often asked herself. They treated her like crap. She should return the favour. Show them what it was like.

But she didn't.

Perhaps because she knew that even though Petunia and Vernon didn't want her, they took her in anyways. They didn't dump her in an orphanage. They took her in. They fed her (to some degree), they clothed her (not perfectly) and they didn't physically abuse her (other than a cuff on the head from her uncle). It was far from the perfect life.

But it was hers.

Charlie just shrugged. "I think the only reason why we put up with each other and our mutual dislike is because...well, it's become familiar."

"Familiar," Harry echoed.

"Yeah. If I report them, I lose familiarity. I lose the one place I've always known. The one place I knew my place in. My aunt and uncle lose the one person they can successfully order around. Dudley loses the person he has his daily battles with. We all lose a sense of familiarity, if that makes any sense."

"It doesn't." Harry said honestly."But it makes sense to you. That's what matters. But if they ever do something completely awful, contact me right away and Uncle Lupin will come fix them."

"Thanks, Harry. Look, I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone what I told you."

"I promise to keep it a secret." Harry placed his right hand over his heart. Charlie smiled and hugged him.

"Thanks, bro."

"No problem, sis."

...

The two siblings returned to the castle after lunch. They met Ron and Hermione by the front stairs. "Hey," Hermione greeted. "We were just going to see how the bonding was going."

"It went well." Harry smiled at Charlie.

"What have you guys been up to?" Charlie asked.

Ron scowled. "Fred and George are thinking of ways to bypass the Age Line and they won't tell me anything. I could totally enter the tournament. We've done tons of life-threatening stuff before."

"I don't think that's something to be proud of." Charlie muttered.

"You haven't done anything dangerous in front of judges before." Hermione said knowingly. "They give you points on how you handled each task."

"Who are the judges?" Charlie asked.

"The Heads of the schools." Hermione answered. "I read about it in _Hogwarts: a History_. Although that book should have a different title. There's nothing in there about Hogwarts enslaving hundreds of Houselves!"

"Oh Merlin." Ron went to head back into the castle but Hermione blocked his way.

"They clean our Common Rooms! They make our food! They clean the castle! And they get nothing in return!" She said fiercely. "How is that fair, Ronald?"

"Hermione!" Ron cried. "They _like _it! Have you ever been in the kitchens? They're _happy_. Fred and George sometimes take me down to the kitchens with them for midnight snacks. I've never seen anyone who could love their job more than Houselves."

Before Hermione could retort Charlie held up a hand. "Hermione, you need to cool down a bit. You can't _force _people to join S.P.E.W. You can't guilt people into joining. You can't keep glaring at everyone who doesn't join. It's not right."

Hermione fumed for a bit. "Fine," she said testily. "I'll stop being so forceful."

"Thank you," Ron and Harry said sincerely.

"Charlie, do you want to play chess?" Ron asked as they filed into the castle.

"Oh, fine. Can Harry and Hermione play with me?"

"A triple team-up, eh?" Ron grinned. "Bring it on!"

...

"It's freezing!" Ron hissed, pulling his wool hat further over his red hair.

The entire population of Hogwarts was gathered out front of the castle. Ron, Charlie, Harry and Hermione stood on the concrete steps. It was a few minutes before six and the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were to arrive at any moment.

"McGonagall is really strict today." Harry remarked.

Ron snorted. "She was in a fit this morning. A few of the sixth years stayed up all night goofing around and the Houselves didn't get a chance to clean. McGonagall was furious and made them clean up the mess. She really wants to make a good impression."

"Dumbledore looks as calm as ever." Harry looked at their esteemed Headmaster. His eyes were twinkling and he wore bright purple robes. "Those ought to make an impression, all right."

"If I'm not mistaken," Dumbledore called over the general chatter. "The Beauxbatons delegation is arriving."

Everyone looked towards the drive that led to the front gates of the castle. Someone shouted and pointed towards the Forest. Something large was flying over the trees and coming towards them. The first-years shrieked in terror and Colin Creevey started taking pictures like mad.

"It's a house," Charlie said in awe. Indeed, a giant blue carriage in the shape of a house was being carried by a dozen elephant-sized horses.

"Talk about an entrance," Harry remarked.

The door to the carriage opened. The larges woman Charlie had ever seen climbed out. Everyone gaped at the giant of a woman. Suddenly the size of the carriage and horses made sense.

Dumbledore started clapping and everyone quickly joined. The woman smiled and made her way to Dumbledore. "Madame Maxine," he greeted. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"It eez wonderful to see you, Dumbly-dorr." Madame Maxine said in a thick accent. "Zese are my pupils."

A dozen boys and girls exited the carriages, all wearing fine robin-blue silk robes. Many were shivering and looking around nervously.

"Karkaroff 'as not arrived yet, I see." Madame Maxine said, taking a look around and her beaky nose pointed upwards.

"I am sure he shall arrive shortly. Would you and your students like to step inside and warm up?"

"Z'ank you. My 'orses need forceful 'andling. Do you 'ave anyone suited for ze job?" Madame Maxine asked.

Dumbledore smiled. "Our Care of Magical Creatures professor will assist to them as soon as he finishes tending to his other charges."

Madame Maxine nodded and bowed. Her students hastily followed the motion and followed their Headmistress into the castle. A few boys whistled as the girls went past and were caught off by a sharp glare from McGonagall.

"That was exciting." Charlie wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck. "Although they didn't look too happy to be here."

"Well, I wouldn't be either if I was dragged to an unfamiliar school." Hermione pointed out.

"Those horses make me nervous." Harry eyed the large creatures warily.

"Hey!" Ron hissed and jostled Charlie's elbow. "Do you hear something?"

"Yeah, but I don't-"

"Hey, everyone! Look at the lake!" Lee Jordon shouted excitedly.

A magnificent ship slowly rose from the black water. Everyone gasped at the ghost-like ship as it glided towards the bank. "I wonder how long they took to plan this." Charlie mused.

People started to climb from the ship and to the bank. They seemed to be all males and they were all muscled. A man with silver hair led the boys towards the crowd gathered. "Dumbledore! How are you?"

"Wonderful, Karkaroff." Dumbledore shook the Durmstrang Headmaster's hand.

Charlie took notice of the man's cold eyes and stiff smile. He gave her an uncomfortable feeling.

_Why shouldn't he? He's Headmaster at a school that takes interest in the Dark Arts._

"Now, come along, Viktor! I hope you don't mind if we head inside, Dumbledore. Viktor isn't feeling well and we ought to get warm as soon as possible."

A boy with thick black eyebrows and a familiar profile walked through the awed crowd. Harry had to support Ron to keep him from nearly fainting in excitement.

"Charlie," he squeaked. "Charlie! It's-!"

"Viktor Krum," she finished warily. "I know, I know."

Why did she have a feeling that things were about to get complicated?

**Probably messed up on the accent for Madame Maxine xD **

**Enjoy!**


	9. Wait, What?

**I do not own Harry Potter. Direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire are in bold. Harry Potter belongs to the wonderful J.K Rowling.**

**Wait, What?**

"Ron," Harry hissed as they group headed into the elaborately decorated Great Hall. "If you don't stop staring at Krum he's going to get a restraining order!"

But the redhead was still in shock and awe that the greatest Seeker of all time was still in school. He wasn't the only one-girls were practically swooning when he walked by and the guys were gawking just as much as Ron. Hermione gave an impatient sigh and shoved him towards the Gryffindor table. "His brothers can deal with him," she muttered. "Or Ginny can slap some sense into him. I don't understand why everyone is making such a big deal!"

Charlie shrugged and they separated from Harry and sat at the Ravenclaw table. The majority of the Beauxbatons students had sat down with them and were looking around in distaste. "What's wrong with them?" Cho whispered. "This place looks wonderful!"

Thousands of candles were floating above them, casting a dim glow around the Great Hall. The Hogwarts crest hung behind the High Table and each House table had a tablecloth in their House colours.

"I don't blame them," Terry Boot muttered. "I would start to get a bad impression of this place too if I were sitting next to Loony Lovegood."

Penelope Clearwater cleared her throat warningly and Terry hastily went silent. A few more Ravenclaws came their way and Charlie moved over so they could sit. Most of the Durmstrang boys went to sit at the Slytherin table (much to Ron's disappointment).

A few of the ghosts floated through the walls. The Beauxbatons girl beside Charlie gave a shriek of panic and Charlie hastily grabbed her arm to keep her from falling off the bench. "It's okay! They won't hurt you."

"You keep _ghosts?" _The girl hissed. "What kind of school eez zis?"

"A good one." Charlie said simply. "Hi, I'm Charlotte Potter. It's nice to meet you."

It was refreshing when the girl didn't start gushing over the fact she was the Girl-Who-Lived. She held out a dainty hand. "It eez a pleasure to meet you. I am Fleur Delacour."

_Not as snobby as they seem. _Charlie thought.

The teachers filed into the room and went to their places at the High Table. Madame Maxine and Professor Karkaroff joined him. Dumbledore stayed on his feet and smiled brightly at them. "Welcome, guests, to Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry! I am sure you will enjoy your stay here."

A few of the Beauxbatons girls snorted in disbelief.

_Alright, maybe they're a _little _snobby..._

"**The Tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast**. Eat, drink, and be merry!" Dumbledore proclaimed and sat down.

Charlie scooped some French Onion soup into her golden bowl. "How are the Champions chosen, anyway?"

Hermione smiled. "You'll see."

A half hour later Hagrid stumbled into the Hall, his giant fingers wrapped in bandages. Hermione shook her head. "Why can't Hagrid show us unicorns or any other pretty creatures?"

Charlie snorted. "Because he's Hagrid." _The man who keeps three-headed dogs, giant spiders and dragons for pets._

"Zere eez no bouillabaisse here." Fleur said with a sigh.

Charlie glanced around the Hall and noticed an unfamiliar dish at the Gryffindor table beside Ron. "Is that it?"

Fleur nodded. "Oui. But am I allowed to take it from another table?"

Charlie grinned. "Sure. We do it all the time. It's no problem."

Fleur got up and headed for the Gryffindor table, her long silvery hair swaying behind her. When she left Hermione leaned towards Charlie. "I could be wrong, but does she look like she's part Veela?"

Charlie pictured the creatures she had seen at the World Cup and studied Fleur, who was politely asking for her native dish at the Gryffindor table. Indeed, all the males seemed to be goggling at her. "Yeah, she could be."

Why not? Professor Flitwick had some goblin ancestry.

"Look at Ron," Hermione huffed. "He's acting like a complete idiot."

Sure enough, their redheaded friend was gaping at Fleur. Charlie frowned and stared at her plate. A weird feeling she couldn't place was boiling in her stomach.

"What are Mr. Crouch and Ludo Bagman doing here?" Hermione suddenly asked. Charlie glanced up and noticed the two new arrivals.

"I don't know. Perhaps they'll be hanging around a lot for the Tournament."

When everyone had had their fill Dumbledore got to his feet. Silence descended over the Hall. "And now it is time to start the Triwizard Tournament. Before the casket is brought out I would like to explain a few things. Please welcome Mr. Bartemius Crouch and Mr. Ludo Bagman."

There was a warm applause, particularly for Ludo Bagman.

"They have worked very hard in putting the Tournament together. They will join the judge's panel along with myself, Madame Maxine and Professor Karkaroff. Now Mr. Filch, the casket please."

Mr. Filch came forward with an old, jewel-encrusted wooden chest. Colin Creevey whipped out his camera and Ron hastily clamped a hand on his wrist. The boy pouted and lowered his most prized possession.

"Necessary arrangements have been made for each task. There will be three tasks that will occur throughout the school year. These tasks are designed to test our champions in various ways-their magical prowess, their ability to face danger and their **powers of deduction**.

"One champion from each school will participate in the Tournament. They will be scored on how the perform and handle each task. The champion with the highest score after the three tasks will win the Triwizard Cup. So there will be no favoritism shown to anyone, the Goblet of Fire will select the champions."

And then Dumbledore tapped on the casket three times with his wand. The casket opened and he removed a large, hewn wooden cup that had blue flames dancing at the brim. "Any aspiring champions will write their name and school on a piece of parchment and place it in the Goblet of Fire. You have twenty-four hours to do so. Tomorrow night the Goblet will tell us the three champions that will be competing in the Triwizard Tournament.

"Tonight, the Goblet of Fire will be placed in the Entrance Hall. I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet to ensure no one under the age of seventeen enters. Please, I must impress upon you that entering the Tournament must not be taken lightly. Once a champion is selected he or she must see it through to the end. I bid you all goodnight and pleasant dreams."

Fred and George were muttering to each other as they left the Hall. Hermione shook her head. "Really! They must be mad if they think they can get past Professor Dumbledore's Age Line."

Charlie grinned. "It'll be terribly amusing to see them try."

Ron was frantically scanning the crowd for Krum. Harry shot his female friends a look of exasperation. They went past the Slytherin table as Karkaroff was talking to his pupils. "All of you, back to the ship. Viktor, are you feeling all right? Would you like some mulled wine? Some more food?"

When Karkaroff shot down another pupil's request for mulled wine it was obvious that Karkaroff favoured the talented Seeker and the Seeker _only_.

"Favouritism," Hermione muttered in disgust.

"Says the teacher's pet." Charlie teased.

Karkaroff and his students got up and they reached the door at the same time as the Golden Quartet. They stood back to let them pass. "**Thank you**," he said idly. He glanced at Charlie and froze.

_Here it comes._

His eyes and the eyes of his students were locked onto her scar. Before he or Charlie could say anything a growl interrupted the silence. "That's Charlotte Potter. So what?"

Karkaroff whipped his head to stare at Professor Moody. His expression became one of anger and fear. "**You!**" He hissed.

Moody narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, me. If you have nothing to say to Potter, Karkaroff, then I suggest you get moving. You're causing a holdup."

Karkaroff glared at Moody for a moment before spinning on his heel and storming out. His students quickly followed.

"He would do well in taking some lessons from the Beauxbatons lot," Charlie remarked. "_They _didn't gape at me like a fish."

...

"Come on," Harry whined the next morning at breakfast. "Can't a guy get into the Hall to eat some food?"

Charlie was behind him, equally annoyed. The Entrance Hall was clogged with students as they stared at the Goblet of Fire. Many were blocking the door leading to the Great Hall. There was a golden line around the stool that held the Goblet of Fire.

"I guess we didn't get up early enough." Charlie sighed.

Hermione jostled her way out of the Great Hall just then. She carried an armload of fruit to her friends. "I already ate, and I figured if I was having trouble getting _out _of the Hall, I didn't think it would be much easier getting _in_."

Harry snatched an orange and grinned. "Thanks Hermione."

"Yeah, thanks." Charlie took an apple. "Anyone put their name in?"

"All of the Durmstrang kids," Cho answered from behind. "I think most of the Hogwarts lot put their name in last night."

"We did it!"

Everyone turned to see Fred, George, Lee Jordon and Ron come running down the stairs. The twins and their best friend looked overjoyed. "We just drank the Aging Potion." Fred announced.

Ron scowled. "Thanks for sharing," he muttered darkly. Charlie patted him on the shoulder.

Hermione crossed her arms. "You cannot possibly believe that a simple Aging Potion will get you across an Age Line made by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

"Oh, ye of little faith." Fred grinned and pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket. George and Lee hovered behind him as he took a deep breath and stepped over the Age Line. Nothing happened.

George cheered and jumped after his brother as the Entrance Hall exploded with whoops and whistles. But then there was a great sizzling sound and the two were thrown out of the golden circle and onto the cold floor.

Charlie grinned when two white beards appeared on their faces. "It was a good try."

"A very good try." Professor Dumbledore said as he stepped from the Great Hall. The laughter stopped instantly. "I would suggest that you go and see Madame Pomfrey. You are not the only ones who tried to get past my Age Line." He smiled and his eyes twinkled. "Although I must say, those are the finest beards I have seen yet."

Fred and George grinned sheepishly. They headed off for the hospital wing with Lee following behind, howling with laughter.

"Finally," Charlie muttered and headed into the Great Hall. She and Hermione took a seat beside Cho Chang. "So, do you know who put their name in?"

"That Warrington fellow from Slytherin, quite a few Gryffindors, Diggory from Hufflepuff and I believe Angelina Johnson from Gryffindor is putting hers in this morning."

"I wonder who will be the Hogwarts champion." Charlie mused as she piled some eggs on her plate. "Hopefully no one from Slytherin. I don't think Malfoy or Parkinson would ever let me hear the end of it."

They finished eating and headed back into the Entrance Hall. There they saw Harry and Ron watching the Beauxbatons lot put their name in the Goblet of Fire. "Well, are you going to stop gawking and come to Hagrid's with us?" Hermione asked impatiently.

"Hagrid's?" Harry asked dazedly. "What for?"

"To visit! And I also have yet to give him a badge."

The two boys groaned but followed their female friends outside. The cool air nipped at their ears as they walked to Hagrid's hut.

"Sheesh. Now we know where the Beauxbatons kids are sleeping." Harry said in awe as he stared at the large blue carriage parked a few hundred yards from Hagrid's hut.

"We better not have to take care of those beasts for our CoMC lesson." Ron muttered as he eyed the giant horses warily.

Hermione rapped on Hagrid's wooden door and it was thrown open. "Took yeh long enough!" Hagrid said as he restrained Fang from knocking them over. "I was wonderin' when yeh'd stop by."

Charlie smiled. "Sorry! We'd have been here sooner but-"

She halted. She blinked and looked more closely at Hagrid. Yes, she was seeing what she thought she was seeing.

Hagrid seemed to have attempted to dress himself up. He wore a furry, raggedy old suit and his hair was slicked back by massive amounts of gel. Charlie stared for a moment longer before shaking herself out of it. "Uh-how are the Skrewts doing?"

"Great! They've gotten teh be 'bout three feet long. Problem is they've started killin' each other, bu' I fixed it." Hagrid ushered them inside and made them some tea. "Are yeh lot excited fer the Triwizard Tournament?"

"You bet!" Ron said eagerly. "I can't wait!"

"Yeh'll be in fer a real treat. Yer goin' teh see stuff like never before. Like the firs' task! Oh, never mind."

"Come on!" Harry complained. "Tell us!"

"Nah. I don' want teh spoil the surprise. But yeh'll love it." Hagrid beamed.

They stayed for lunch and discussed various topics. Hagrid roared with laughter when Ron told him what happened to his twin brothers. Eventually (and Charlie knew it would happen sooner or later) Hermione and Hagrid were arguing about S.P.E.W. Hagrid refused to buy a badge and Hermione was furious that he believed that elf slavery should continue on. Charlie, Harry and Ron agreed with everything Hagrid said, but from the furious expression on Hermione's face, they decided not to contribute anything.

"It's a noble thing yer doin', Hermione." Hagrid said as he finished his washing. "Bu' its jus' not what the Houselves want. Sure, yeh get an odd one every now and then, bu' the elves _like _what they do. Alright, Hermione?"

Hermione pouted. "Yes, Hagrid."

The giant smiled at her and patted her on the head. Hermione nearly went crashing to the floor from the heavy weight of his hand and Charlie kept her upright. Soon dusk fell and they all headed back to the castle for the Halloween feast-and the announcing of the champions.

Hagrid doused himself in cologne and the Golden Quartet held their breath as they walked to the castle. They met with Madame Maxine and the Beauxbatons crowd just a few yards from the castle and Hagrid turned red. The four friends gaped as Hagrid immediately fell into step beside her and started chatting, completely forgetting about them.

"Well," Hermione muttered. "That's a fine how-do-you-do."

"I'll be." Charlie said in awe. "Hagrid fancies Madame Maxine."

Ron shook his head. "Well, she _is _the only one that even comes close to his height."

They went into the Great Hall and separated. Hermione and Charlie took their seats at the Ravenclaw table and looked around. The Hall was aglow with candles and starlight. The food arrived and it seemed like eternity before Dumbledore got to his feet.

The Hall went silent.

Madame Maxine and Professor Karkaroff looked tense. Ludo Bagman was grinning broadly. Mr. Crouch frowned and didn't look much interested.

"The Goblet of Fire is about to make a decision." Dumbledore said. "When the champions are named, I would like them to come to the front of the Hall, walk along the High Table and enter that chamber, where you will await further instructions."

He waved his wand and the Hall plunged into darkness. The only light was the bright, dancing blue flames from the Goblet. Everyone sat still for a minute, tense and anxious.

The fire burned a bright red, spiraling out of the cup and a piece of parchment flying out. Everyone gasped in surprise and Dumbledore snapped the parchment from the air.

"**The champion for Durmstrang,**" he read clearly, "**will be Viktor Krum**."

Everyone cheered and clapped as Viktor rose from the Slytherin table and slouched his way to the chamber.

"Good show, Viktor!" Karkaroff boomed.

The Goblet turned red again and everyone went silent. A second piece of parchment shot into the air, lifted by the flames.

"**The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour.**"

"Congratulations," Charlie said as she clapped. The Veela girl smiled at her before striding towards the chamber.

And then that left the Hogwarts champion.

The Goblet grew red again and the room buzzed with excitement. The third piece of parchment flew into the air. "**The Hogwarts champion,**" Dumbledore said, "is Angelina Johnson!"

The Gryffindor table exploded in screams, whistles and applause. Angelina turned red and grinned before making her way to the chamber. She shot a smile at Cedric Diggory as she passed, who smiled back. Professor McGonagall beamed with pride.

"Good for her," Charlie said as she clapped.

"Wonderful!" Dumbledore beamed. "And there you have our three champions. I trust you will continue to support your champion throughout the Tournament. By doing so you will-"

He froze.

The Goblet had burned red again.

Charlie suddenly felt sick.

A fourth piece of parchment shot out of the Goblet of Fire. Everyone watched in stunned silence as Dumbledore grabbed it. He stared at the name on the parchment for a long moment. Then he opened his mouth.

Charlie squeezed her eyes shut.

"_Charlotte Potter."_

_No. No no no no no no no no no no NO NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOO._

But it was. Everyone was staring at her, their expressions ranging from fury to disbelief. Ron and the rest of the Gryffindors were glaring at her. The Slytherins were scowling. The Hufflepuffs scowled (with the exception of Harry). The Ravenclaws gaped at her. An angry buzz broke out.

Professor Flitwick hastily got out of his seat and started whispering frantically to Dumbledore. Her Head of House looked horrified. If Dumbledore was as well, he didn't show it.

"I didn't put my name in the Goblet," Charlie said desperately. "I didn't!"

"I know." Hermione whispered worriedly. "You've hardly been away from my side and we stay up late almost every night studying. If had done so, you would have let me know."

"Charlotte Potter!" Dumbledore called. "Up here, if you please."

_No no no no no NO NO NO._

"You don't have much of a choice," Hermione hissed. She shoved Charlie off of the bench and pushed her forwards. "Now go!"

Her heart pounding in her chest and her stomach rolling, Charlie made her way to the front.

_Why is it ALWAYS me?_

**xD So, I hope no one is too disappointed that I selected Angelina Johnson instead of Cedric Diggory. **

**Enjoy!**


	10. Making Hogwarts History

**I do not own Harry Potter. Direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire are in bold. Harry Potter belongs to the wonderful J.K Rowling.**

**Making Hogwarts History**

Charlie kept her emerald gaze locked at the front of the Great Hall. She didn't need to look around to know she was receiving hostile stares-she could feel them burning into the back of her neck. She swallowed hard and passed the teachers. Dumbledore wasn't smiling nor were his eyes twinkling. Flitwick looked ready to faint and Hagrid seemed to be as stunned as she was.

And that was saying something.

She entered the chamber adjoined to the Hall and glanced around. The three champions were around the fireplace and they looked up upon hearing someone enter. "What's up?" Angelina asked.

"Is something wrong?" Fleur wondered, swinging her hair back over her shoulders.

Charlie couldn't find the words to explain what had just happened. Luckily Ludo Bagman chose the right time to come bounding into the chamber. "Who'd have expected this?" He laughed, clapping Charlie on the shoulder. "Children, remember this day! The Triwizard Tournament-for the first time in history-has a fourth champion!"

If the glares she received in the Hall were hostile, then the ones she was getting now were downright deadly. Charlie struggled to smile but it came out as a grimace.

"But she cannot!" Fleur protested. "She does not meet ze age limit!"

"True, true. But Charlotte's name came out of the Goblet. There's no backing out now." Ludo hardly seemed bothered by this new development. In fact, he seemed to be delighted.

"I didn't put my name in the Goblet!" Charlie protested.

The door slammed open and Charlie nervously regarded the group that came in.

"_Two _Hogwarts champions?" Karkaroff hissed. "Pardon me, but I was under the impression that we could only have one champion that was _of age_."

"Zis is vairy unfair!" Madame Maxine said furiously. "I demand to know the meaning of zis, Dumbly-dorr. Why 'as your Age Line allowed zis little girl to enter the Tournament?"

"Do not blame Dumbledore," Snape spoke up. "It is not his fault some children don't regard the rules."

Charlie bristled. Sure, every time she got in trouble, she suddenly became her father and Snape's mood did a one eighty. "I didn't put my name in the Goblet!" She cried. "I never _wanted _to put my name in the Goblet! I've had enough near brushes with Death, thank you."

"And you didn't get an older student to put your name in for you?" Dumbledore asked.

"No!"

"Of course she would not be telling ze truth!" Fleur exclaimed.

Exasperated, Charlie shoved her hands in her pockets before the desire to punch something overwhelmed her. Her fingers brushed something and she pulled it out.

It was the note she had passed to Ron so long ago, warning him about Hermione's crusade. She had shoved it back in her pocket when Snowy brought it back to her and had forgotten about it.

It had her handwriting on it.

Charlie unfolded the precious piece of paper and held it out. "Does the handwriting on that parchment match this one?"

A brief look of surprise crossed Dumbledore's face before he took the note and compared the two pieces of parchment. "No...It doesn't."

"See? I didn't put my name in. And why would anyone else want me to? No older student would want to risk me taking the glory from someone of their own House and Ravenclaws value honesty. I don't know how my name got in the Goblet, but I had nothing to do with it."

"Now how can we argue with that?" Ludo asked cheerfully.

"Very easily," Karkaroff muttered. "Mr. Bagman, Mr. Crouch, you must agree that this is very unusual and unfair."

"It may be so, but we cannot do anything about that." Crouch said stiffly. "Charlotte Potter has been chosen and she is now bound by the rules of the Tournament."

"Isn't there some way you can figure out whose handwriting that belongs to?" Charlie asked desperately.

"Sorry, kiddo. Magical signatures we can trace (for the most part) but not handwriting." Ludo explained.

_Unbelievable. This people can time travel, teleport, use spells to clean house, ward off devil-like creatures and heal life-threatening injuries. But they don't have a simple spell to identify handwriting. What. The. Fudge._

"I must insist that the Goblet of Fire is set up once more." Karkaroff growled. "Names shall be submitted until all schools have two champions."

"You know very well that can't happen." Snape said sharply. "The Goblet will not light again until the next Tournament."

Karkaroff turned to stare at Snape. After a moment of silence he spoke. "Then we'll leave."

"Do you want your student to die, Karkaroff?" Moody growled. He limped into the chamber and glowered at the Durmstrang Headmaster. "There's a magical binding to the Tournament once you've been declared champion. But you know that. You're stuck here, Karkaroff."

Karkaroff fumed. "I'll certainly be complaining to the Ministry of Magic."

"You know, Potter here is the only one who has a reason to complain. And she's not saying a word."

"She's got a chance at glory and a thousand Galleons!" Angelina pointed out. "Why should she be complaining? This is something all of those guys in the Hall would die for!"

"And perhaps someone _is _hoping Potter will die." Moody said softly. "Only an extremely skilled witch or wizard would be able to trick the powerful Goblet."

Charlie pushed back the urge to groan.

"Of course there's a death plot involved." Karkaroff said coldly. "There's a death plot involved in _everything, _isn't there, Moody?"

"Enough," Dumbledore said sharply. "Alastor, Igor, there is nothing we can do about this situation. Charlotte and Angelina have been selected as Hogwarts champions. They are obliged to compete. Bartimus, the rules?"

Mr. Crouch stared at Dumbledore for moment before slowly nodding. "Yes, of course. The first task will be on November twenty-fourth. It will be performed in front of students and the judges. This task will test your daring and you will go into the first task unaware of what you are facing. Courage in the face of the unknown is very important.

"Champions are not allowed to ask for or accept help from their teachers. You will go into the first task armed with nothing but your wands. Due to the time the champions will spend towards the Tournament they will not have to take their year-end tests. Have I missed anything?"

"No, no. All was said. Would you like to stay for the night, Bartimus? You don't look well."

"Nonsense. I'm fine. Must get back to the office, lots of work to be done." Mr. Crouch slipped on his coat and nodded at them all. "Goodnight."

Madame Maxine and Karkaroff were quick to leave with their champions. Dumbledore smiled at the two remaining girls. "I do believe Ravenclaw and Gryffindor will be delighted to have an excuse to throw a party. Best not to keep them waiting."

Charlie nodded numbly and followed Angelina out of the chamber. "I'm really sorry this happened," she started to say."

"Then why did you put your name in the Goblet?" Angelina demanded.

"I told you, I didn't! Professor Dumbledore even said my handwriting didn't match the one on the parchment!" Charlie protested.

"There is such a thing as forgery." Angelina said. Then she sighed. "Look, I'm not mad at you or anything. Gryffindors get along with Ravenclaws pretty well-although I'm not sure if I can continue saying that now. You'll have consequences to face and I think that'll be punishment enough."

Angelina went towards Gryffindor Tower and Charlie threw her hands in the air. "Great. No one is going to believe me. Ron already looked like he wanted to rip my head off."

She stormed into Ravenclaw Tower and was startled by a great cheer. Penelope Clearwater walked up to her. "I don't know how you did it, and although it wasn't a very honest thing to do, just know your House will be here to support you."

"Thanks, but I didn't-"

More people came forward to pester her with questions. No matter how much she denied they wouldn't believe her. She finally managed to escape into her dormitory, where Hermione was reading a book. "Hermione, I'm going to die before I even enter the first task."

"Well, you can't do much about it." Hermione said practically. "Someone put your name in the Goblet and you have no choice but to compete. Does Professor Dumbledore know why someone would do such a thing?"

"No, but Moody believes someone wants me to die." Charlie said flatly and collapsed on her bed. "How many lives do I have left? I think I started out with nine."

"You're not a cat," Hermione put her book down. "You're just extremely lucky."

"Well, my luck better not run out. Or else you'll be visiting my funeral at the end of the year."

...

"Charlie?"

The fourteen-year old girl groaned and sat up wearily, her raven hair a tangled mess. "Yeah?"

"Someone is waiting outside the Common Room for you." The girl who had delivered the message left before Charlie could ask who it was.

She got dressed and grabbed her book bag. When she stepped out of the Common Room she was relieved to see Harry waiting for her and holding an apple. "I was worried it was an angry mob."

"Well, not yet." The two siblings started down the corridor. "Want to go for a walk?"

"Please." Charlie nodded and took a bite of her apple.

They walked past the Great Hall and circled the lake. "So, how's the Hufflepuff crowd doing?"

"Well, we're not a malicious bunch, but most of us aren't happy." Harry shrugged. "I know you're innocent, but everyone in the Hufflepuff House was hoping Cedric would get chosen. It's been a while since they got any glory. Angelina getting selected was bad enough, but now they're feeling cheated."

"Great." Charlie muttered. "Well, I'm curious to know. What side are the Slytherins on?"

"They hate you and they also hate Gryffindors. But they hate you more." Harry smiled apologetically. "I asked Fred and George how the Gryffindors feel. They're delighted Angelina got chosen but most of them feel that you're a threat to her victory. Fred, George, Neville and Ginny believe you, however."

"I notice Ron wasn't mentioned."

Harry flushed. "Hermione's trying to knock some sense into him. Listen, he's just jealous. He's spent his whole life overshadowed by his siblings and you're his best friend. He feels inferior. He wants to be recognized."

"I'll gladly trade places with him." Charlie said.

"Too bad you can't." Harry grinned.

...

Lessons went as Charlie expected. The majority of the Gryffindors were giving her the cold shoulder and the Hufflepuffs, although they didn't completely ignore her, still showed their disapproval of her supposed actions.

"You know," Charlie remarked as she and Hermione headed for Care of Magical Creatures together. "I think this is the first time in history where Slytherins have pushed aside their hatred of Gryffindors in favour for their shared loathing of an individual figure."

"You're making the Hogwarts history books," Hermione answered dryly. "Has Ron talked to you yet?"

"Nope. He's been avoiding me like the plague."

When they reached Hagrid's hut there was already a crowd of students. Harry was standing at the front with Ron and he shot the girls an apologetic smile. Charlie kept her eyes open for Malfoy and Parkinson-they had yet to torture her.

"All hail the champion!" Pansy cried as she and her best friend, Draco Malfoy came into view. Charlie wrinkled her nose.

"Do you have a pen, Potter?" Draco taunted. "You'll be signing autographs like mad, I assume. You might want to please your fans before you die. I think you'll bite in the first task. What do you think, Pansy?"

Before Pansy could answer Hagrid came lumbering from behind the hut. He gave them their orders and motioned for Charlie to come forwards. "Do yeh 'ave any clue as teh who put yer name in the Goblet?"

"Not one." Charlie sighed. "But you believe me?"

"O' course! Yeh've never gave me reason teh not trust yeh." Hagrid stroked his beard. "But yeh must be careful. Dangerous stuff happens in the Tournament."

"So I've heard."

"It seems everythin' happens to yeh, don' it?"

Charlie snorted. "You're telling me."

...

"Lovely buttons." Charlie drawled the next day, staring at the flashing accessories the Slytherins and most of Hogwarts (with the exception of Ravenclaws) were wearing. She, Hermione, Harry and Ron had left the Great Hall (Ron was still refusing to talk to her) and they came upon a large snickering crowd.

Hermione flinched when the button she was staring at flashed to _Potter Stinks_. "Don't worry about it. They're so immature."

"Who you calling immature, _Mudblood_?" Pansy sneered. She and Draco came to the front of the snickering crowd. Charlie had a feeling they were behind the new fashion trend.

"Who you calling Mudblood, half-blood?" Ron retorted.

Pansy snarled and whipped out her wand. Ron did the same. Before Hermione, Charlie or Harry could stop him he shouted, _"__**Furnunculus!**__" _the same time Pansy screamed, _"__**Densaugeo!**__"_

Charlie dove to the ground as the curses clashed in the air. Everyone screamed and took cover. Ron's curse hit Draco in the face and Pansy's curse rebounded on Hermione. Harry hastily went by her side and tugged her hand away from her mouth.

"You'll pay for this, Weasley!" Draco screamed, his face covered in nasty boils.

"Nice going, Ron." Charlie muttered under her breath. Ron glared at her.

"What's going on here?"

Snape stormed out of the Great Hall. His eyes passed over the _Potter Stinks _buttons and landed on the six figures standing in the middle of the nervous crowd. Draco pointed a finger at Ron. "He hexed me!"

"It was her fault!" Ron snapped, glaring at Pansy. "We shouted curses at the same time! She pulled her wand on me! I was defending myself!"

"Detention," Snape said shortly. "And fifty points from Gryffindor. Tell me Weasley, what caused Miss Parkinson to pull her wand on you in the first place?"

"She called Hermione a Mudblood. I called her a half-blood." Ron said hotly.

Snape's eyes flashed. "Miss Parkinson, you know very well how I feel about that name. Thirty points from Slytherin and detention."

Pansy turned red.

"Mr. Malfoy, get to the hospital wing. Same for you, Granger."

Hermione's teeth had grown past her collar. She took off for the hospital wing and Harry quickly followed her. The crowd dispersed and Pansy stormed off with Draco to get him cured.

Before Charlie could say anything to Ron Colin Creevey sped towards her. He continued to idolize her even though his fellow Gryffindors were less than fond of her. "Charlie! Mr. Bagman would like to see you right away!"

"Alright." Charlie nodded curtly at Ron and set off with Colin. "How'd you know where I was?"

"I took a guess. This is where you normally are at this time." Colin beamed at her. "I think the _Daily Prophet _is here to take pictures and stuff. Wow! I can't believe you're the fourth champion! Isn't that something?"

"Very," Charlie agreed. Colin led her to a small classroom. "You know, Colin, I think it's only fair that you get to take the very first picture of Hogwarts' fourth champion."

His smile lit up the corridor. He eagerly snapped a picture, thanked her a thousand times and sped off to show his brother. Charlie shook her head in amusement and opened the door.

Five desks were set up behind a long velvet-covered table. A photographer and what Charlie guessed was a reporter was conversing quietly in the corner. Viktor was staring into the fire and Fleur was chatting with Angelina.

Ludo Bagman beamed. "Charlotte Potter! Come on in, it's almost time for the Wand Weighing ceremony."

Charlie blinked. "Wand Weighing ceremony?"

"We just want to make sure your wands are perfect and functioning properly. Then there will be a little photo shoot. And Rita Skeeter here will be asking a few questions for the _Daily Prophet_."

Charlie managed a smile as Rita Skeeter strode forwards. "Hello."

"Hello, Charlotte. Mr. Bagman, I was wondering if I may ask her a few questions before we begin. It's not often we get a fourth champion." Her long, crimson nails tapped against her crocodile handbag.

"Of course!"

Charlie was yanked into a broom closet. Rita shut the door firmly and spread a long piece of parchment on a cardboard box. "Now, Charlotte, I'll just be using a Quick-Quotes Quill. Try not to pay attention to it."

A long green quill was pulled from her bag. Charlie watched as Rita placed the tip in her mouth before pressing it to the parchment. The quill stood upright on its own after she withdrew her hand. "So, Charlotte, what made you enter this Tournament?"

"Uh-"

The quill started scribbling at rapid fire, despite Charlie having uttered one syllable.

_**An ugly scar, souvenir of a**__**tragic past, disfigures the otherwise charming face of **__Charlotte __**Potter, whose eyes-**_

_Oh, give me a break._

Charlie allowed her eyes to flicker upwards. "I really didn't put my name in the Goblet."

"Now, now, Charlotte, no need to lie. We all know you put your name in when you weren't supposed to. No need to worry, readers love rebels."

Charlie let out a sigh. No point in arguing with this woman.

"Are you nervous for the tasks ahead?" Rita asked.

"Yes." _Especially considering I have a tendency to face Death more than most people should._

"Champions have died in this Tournament, you know. But you're quite good at looking death in the face and triumphing, aren't you?"

_Well, she's right on that point._

"Did you enter the Tournament to live up to the Potter name? Your parents were exceptional at magic. Are you trying to prove yourself?"

"No." Charlie answered.

"Do you have any memories of your parents?"

_Not good ones. _"Not really."

"Do you think they would be proud of you?" Rita pressed.

_Gee, I dunno. How about I ask them? _Charlie resisted the urge to scowl and glanced down at the parchment between them.

_**Tears fill those startlingly green eyes as our conversation turns to the parents **__she__** can barely remember. **_

_She must be joking._

The closet door flew open and Charlie sprang to her feet, relieved to see the rather intimidating form of Albus Dumbledore staring at them. Rita's quill and parchment vanished into her bag and she got to her feet.

"Dumbledore!" She said breezily. "How very nice to see you."

"A pleasure, my dear. Your article on the International Confederation of Wizards' Conference was wonderfully nasty, by the way." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and he ushered Charlie out of the closet. "It is time for the Weighing of the Wands, and it won't do for one of the champions to be hiding in a broom closet."

Charlie took a seat with the rest of the champions and fiddled with her wand nervously. Her gaze flickered towards the window and she gaped in surprise.

Mr. Ollivander peered at them. "Mademoiselle Delacour," he motioned the girl forwards.

Fleur sat up gracefully and handed the elderly man her wand. He gave it a twirl and pink sparks shot out from the tip. "Yes...**nine and half inches...inflexible...rosewood...and containing** a hair from a Veela."

Fleur tilted her head proudly. "From one of my ancestors."

"To each his own, I suppose." Mr. Ollivander mused. He gave the wand a flick and flower petals exploded into the air. "Very good. Miss Johnson, your turn."

Angelina stepped forwards and held out her wand.

"Ah, yes. I remember the day you came for your wand. Cedar, twelve inches, and the core is a hair from a male unicorn's tail. I see you've taken good care of your wand."

Angelina grinned and nodded. Mr. Ollivander cast a series of smoke rings before handing back her wand with an approving nod. "Mr. Krum."

Viktor got up and slouched towards Ollivander. He studied it carefully. "A Gregorovitch creation. Thicker than wands normally are. Dragon heartstring, hornbeam, ten and a quarter inches." He waved the wand and a swarm of birds appeared in the room, chirping gently. "Very good. Now that leaves...Miss Potter."

Charlie clutched her wand and moved forwards. _Please don't tell them my wand core is the sister to Voldemort's...please don't._

Ollivander examined her wand for a long time. He made a jet of wine shoot from the tip before handing it back to her without a word.

Dumbledore smiled at them all. "Well, you've missed the better part of the afternoon classes. Why don't you all prepare for dinner?"

"We still have to do the photo shoot!" Rita interrupted. "And perhaps a few individual shots."

The pictures took forever to do. Charlie was delighted when they were finally dismissed. She took off down the corridor and skipped dinner entirely. She found Hermione in the Common Room, reading as usual. "How are you feeling?"

Hermione beamed. "Great!"

Charlie blinked. "Uh, smile again for me."

Sheepishly, Hermione obeyed. "You got your teeth shortened!"

"Well, Madame Pomfrey told me to tell her when my teeth were back to normal." Hermione explained. "And my parents are against using magic on teeth (they are dentists) but Muggle dentistry can't fix the size of my front teeth. So...I let Madame Pomfrey shrink them until they were level with my other teeth. My parents won't be happy, mind you."

Charlie shook her head. "Well, at least your day went alright for the most part. I still got a year of deadly tasks to handle."

"Don't worry Charlie. You'll be fine." Hermione assured her.

Charlie wished she could believe that.


	11. Why Did It Have to Be Dragons?

**I do not own Harry Potter. Direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire are in bold. Harry Potter belongs to the wonderful J.K Rowling.**

**Why Did It Have to Be Dragons?**

It was during breakfast a week before the first task when Ron made his way to the Ravenclaw table. "Um...Hello."

Charlie glanced up from her muffin and arched an eyebrow. "Are you speaking to me now?"

Ron flushed. "Well, Hermione yelled at me again last night-"

"I didn't yell," Hermione said huffily. "I was using a forceful tone."

"Hermione was using _a forceful tone _on me last night and I thought about it. The evidence proves you didn't put your name in the Goblet despite what everyone thinks and you did say you didn't want to enter your name. And even that shouldn't have mattered. I was a prat and I should have trusted you."

Hermione beamed. "That wasn't so hard, was it Ron?"

The redhead blushed. "Shut up. But I really am sorry."

Charlie waved a hand, a warm feeling welling in her chest. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're talking to me again. Besides, I could use all the support I can get. Three quarters of the school are refusing to acknowledge me and I think the Slytherins are planning to off me in the near future. And those _stupid _buttons..."

"Angelina _did _ask us not to wear them." Ron said in defense of his fellow Gryffindor.

"That was nice of her. And she can't really help any of this any more than I can." Charlie sighed. "By the way, if you had worn that button, I would have slapped you."

"Good thing I'm somewhat smart." Ron answered. "By the way, I've wanted to ask for weeks. Has Sirius contacted you yet?"

Charlie shook her head. "Not one letter. Then again I didn't tell him I was drafted into the Tournament."

"WHAT?" Hermione cried. She swatted Charlie's shoulder. "Why not?"

"I didn't want to get him all worked up. And I don't even know how to _explain _what happened. I was hoping Dumbledore would notify him for me."

"Write to him right now!" Hermione rummaged through her bag for a quill and parchment. Rolling her eyes, Charlie started to write.

_Dear Sirius,_

_I don't know how to tell you this (if Dumbledore hasn't told you already) but I'm the fourth champion in the Triwizard Tournament. Don't get mad! It wasn't my fault and I swear I didn't put my name in the Goblet of Fire. Someone else must have done it. I guess I should have told you all of this sooner (considering the first task is in a few days) but hey, you know now. _

_Sincerely, _

_Charlie_

"Are we having a conference?" Harry asked as he peered over Charlie's shoulder.

"I suppose so. Ron just ended his silent treatment against me and Hermione forced me to tell Sirius I'm in the Tournament." Charlie found a spare envelope in her bag and slipped the letter inside.

Harry arched an eyebrow. "You haven't told him yet?"

"That's the reaction I've been getting lately." Charlie muttered. "I was hoping Dumbledore would tell him. Or you would have told Remus and Remus would have told Sirius."

"I haven't even told Uncle Remus you've been chosen." Harry informed. "I figured you would tell Sirius and Sirius would tell him."

Charlie laughed. "Well, then they both won't be happy with me. But they'll be even more upset if they come to watch the first task and discover I'm in it."

A swarm of owls swooped into the Hall, dropping parcels and letters to their recipients. Hermione received a copy of _The Daily Prophet_ and they were all greeted by a large, colourful picture of Charlie's face.

"Uh...Skeeter realizes that you're not the only one in the Tournament, right?" Harry asked.

Charlie scowled. "Yes, but she seems to think that writing exaggerated articles on me will boost her popularity."

Hermione skimmed the article and suddenly burst into laughter. Charlie immediately snatched it from her and scanned through it to see what her friend found so funny. "You have got to be kidding me."

"What?" Ron asked.

"_Charlotte Potter not only has her eyes on the Tournament, but also two young boys that are always in her company. Charlotte seems to be quite the charmer as she attracts both Ronald Weasley and Harry Lupin-but who will ultimately win her affections?" _Charlie read the article aloud.

Ron blushed and Harry giggled. "So, do we have to battle to the death or something?"

Charlie swatted him across the shoulder. "Shut up! I can't believe this. All Rita is doing is giving the Slytherins more ammo to use against me."

Hermione rolled up the _Prophet_ and stood up. "We better go and mail that letter right away. It wouldn't do if Sirius found out his goddaughter was in the Tournament by way of the _Prophet_."

...

Charlie received a response from Sirius at lunch. Fed up with the comments from the Slytherins she and Hermione went to the library for some peace and quiet.

Or so they hoped.

"You must be joking," Hermione said in annoyance as they watched a bunch of girls surround Viktor Krum.

"I never would have pegged him for a library guy." Charlie remarked as they sat down at a table. She tore open the letter and started to read.

_Dear Charlie,_

_I believe you. But you should have told me what had happened the night your name came out of the Goblet. Since the first task is in a few days I'll talk to you then. I would love to be able to take you out of the Tournament, but it's impossible. So please, be careful. No one knows what the first task is until it happens._

_Good luck and stay safe,_

_Sirius_

"Well, at least he isn't furious." Charlie sighed with relief and folded the letter up. Her gaze drifted upwards and she spotted Viktor staring at Hermione, who was currently revising her Potions essay. Charlie quickly looked away and struggled to hold back a smile.

She was starting to see why Viktor hung around the library so much these days.

A few girls burst into giggles and Hermione looked up in irritation. "What do they find so attracting about him, anyway?"

Charlie shrugged. "He's an international Quidditch star. Most girls like that kind of thing."

Hermione scoffed and went back to her work. Charlie glanced up.

Yup, the Quidditch star was still staring at her bushy-haired friend.

...

The Saturday before the first task a Hogsmeade trip was scheduled for third years and up. Charlie, Ron, Hermione and Harry went to the Three Broomsticks for some Butterbeer. As they reached the door Charlie got a glimpse of Rita Skeeter in the window and barely had time to hide before the reporter walked out with her photographer.

"That was the greatest dive I've ever seen," Harry commented as Charlie crawled out from behind a stack of barrels.

"Of course she would be staying here," Charlie muttered as they went inside. "It's just my luck."

Harry ordered their drinks and they carried them to a table in the back. "Well, where do you expect her to stay?" Hermione asked. "The first task is coming up fast and she has to be there."

"What do you think the first task is?" Harry asked.

"Maybe you have to fight a Dementor," Ron suggested. "Those things are dangerous if you don't know how to handle them."

"After last year, I don't think Dumbledore would allow a Dementor onto the grounds," Charlie said with a grin. "Not that I'm complaining."

"Hey," Harry said suddenly. "Isn't that Hagrid?"

Sure enough, Hagrid was sitting a few seats away. The large man spotted them and beamed. He strode over and loomed over them. "All right, ye lot?"

"Hello, Hagrid." The foursome chorused.

Hagrid bent low and whispered to Charlie, "Meet me at me cabin tonight at midnight. Bring yer Cloak." He straightened up, bid them goodbye and left the pub.

Charlie frowned. "That's an odd request."

"What was it?" Harry asked, as he had not been able to hear the whispered request.

"He wanted me to meet him at his cabin at midnight tonight with my Cloak."

"That makes me uneasy." Harry said bluntly. "Are you going to go?"

"Yeah. I don't think Hagrid would ask me to sneak out of the castle after curfew unless it was really important." Charlie took a sip of her drink. "I hope it's not something that will freak me out."

...

Later that night Charlie snuck across the dark grounds. She slipped past the Beauxbatons carriage and rapped on the cabin door. Hagrid opened the door and peered around. "Charlie? Is that you?"

"Yes," Charlie responded. "Hagrid, where exactly are we going?"

Hagrid did not answer, which made Charlie slightly nervous. "Jus' follow me an' keep the Cloak on yeh."

Charlie watched as Hagrid set off for the Beauxbatons carriage. _Okay, I'm confused._

She carefully followed and jumped slightly when Madame Maxime came out to meet Hagrid. "Is it time?"

Hagrid dipped into a bow. "Follow me, madam."

"Wair are we going?" Madame Maxime asked with a playful smile as they started around the perimeter of the forest.

"It's a surprise. Yeh'll like it, I'm sure. Bu' yeh can't tell anyone what yeh will see."

"I promise, 'Agrid."

_I think I'm going to barf._

Charlie thought it was sweet that Hagrid had a crush on Madame Maxime, but she didn't want to see them flirting on the entire walk to who-knows-where.

Just when her legs were about to give out, Hagrid stopped by a clump of trees and motioned for Madame Maxime to peer around them. Charlie cautiously stepped around the trees-and froze.

_Oh, Merlin._

Dragons! There were four humongous dragons and about thirty dragon-keepers trying in vain to control them. Flames lit up the area and Charlie took a few steps back so she didn't get burned.

_The first task involves _dragons. _Are they trying to kill us? _

"Beautiful," Hagrid breathed in awe. Madame Maxime was staring with wide eyes and a slight smile on her face.

"Hello Hagrid." Charlie Weasley greeted as he came up to them. "Uh...Hagrid, I don't think Madame Maxime should be here. The champions aren't supposed to know about this-"

"No need to worry," Madame Maxime said. "I will obey ze rules of ze Tournament."

Charlie Weasley frowned. "Alright. What do you think of them, Hagrid?"

"They're beauties." Hagrid sighed longingly. "What do the champions have teh do? Get past them?"

"Pretty much." Charlie Weasley nodded. A group of dragon-keepers collected some dragon eggs from the pen and carried them off while the rest Stunned the dragons. "That's what the champions have to try and collect. Say, how's Charlotte doing?"

"Good, good. Say, Madame Maxime, would yeh like teh see it up close?" Hagrid offered his arm and Madame Maxime accepted it. Charlie Weasley shook his head and followed the pair to the pen.

The raven-haired girl stared after them. She then glanced at the subdued dragons. "You are all _insane_."

Charlie headed back to the castle. "They want us to battle dragons! Are they crazy? Haven't I used up enough of my nine-lives at this place?"

"**Who's there?"**

Charlie froze and watched as Karkaroff emerged from the shadows. He looked around suspiciously for a moment before continuing on his way. "Well, looks like the first task won't be much of a surprise to some people."

_Except for Angelina. _

Charlie couldn't allow Angelina to be the only champion unaware of what the first task would be. She would warn her first thing tomorrow morning.

The raven-haired girl finally made it to her Common Room. She sleepily told Hermione of what she had seen before collapsing into bed, leaving the horrified girl to worry about the well being of her best friend.

**I've just realized I've been saying **_**Madame Maxine **_**instead of **_**Madame Maxime**_**, so I apologize for that consistent mistake :P It'll be correct from now on.**

**Not my best, but I thought I should give you guys something XD Sorry for the wait!**


	12. Catching That Golden Egg

**I do not own Harry Potter. Direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire are in bold. Harry Potter belongs to the wonderful J.K Rowling.**

**Catching That Golden Egg**

The morning after the Hogsmeade trip was spent in the library. Charlie had explained to Ron and Harry about the dragons and they both were horrified by the discovery. "How are four teenagers supposed to take on a dragon?" Harry asked.

Hermione came to the table and dropped a stack of books in front of them. Ron groaned. "Isn't researching for homework enough?"

"Do you want Charlie to die?" Hermione asked.

Ron shook his head quickly and snatched the book on the top of the pile. "What exactly are we supposed to be looking for?"

"Any weaknesses dragons have." Hermione pulled out a notebook. "I'm going to record them all in here."

"There's one thing I don't understand." Harry frowned. "How did Hagrid find out about the dragons?"

"Maybe Charlie told him." Hermione suggested.

"I don't think Charlie would do that." Ron said. "He may not be a strict rule follower, but even he wouldn't defy the rules of the Tournament. He'd keep it a secret."

"Then I guess someone else found out and told Hagrid." Charlie shrugged. "But that's not what we need to find out. We need to find out how I'm going to steal a dragon egg from a dragon."

"Do you get any tools to help you?" Hermione asked.

"He didn't say." Charlie rested her chin in her hands. "I'd think that they'd let us use our wands."

"If that's the case, then we should also try practicing some useful spells. I know a few that might help you out." Hermione offered.

Ron sighed. "Can't we take a break? With homework and researching to keep Charlie alive, we don't have any time for fun!"

"Hey, if I could exit this dumb Tournament, I would." Charlie snapped. "But fate seems to want me dead and buried in the cold ground."

"Alright, alright." Harry cut in. "Let's see what we can find, alright?"

But no matter how hard they looked they couldn't find a weakness. It seemed that all dragons were nearly impossible to slay and even harder to subdue. Hermione even took out a few simple spell books to see if they could find anything.

So far, no such luck.

The group gave up when Krum and his fan girls walked into the library. "It's nearly time for class, anyway." Hermione said huffily. "Let's get out of here."

Ron departed them and the other three made their way to Herbology. Charlie spotted Angelina walking down the corridor towards them, alone. "Guys, I'll catch up later."

"Hurry up or you'll be late." Hermione warned and she and Harry went ahead.

"Hey, Angelina." Charlie said quickly, stepping in front of the girl. "Look, I just wanted to let you know that the first task will be dragons."

Angelina started. She stared at Charlie with wide eyes. "Dragons?" She whispered. "How do you know?"

"Er...never mind that." Charlie didn't want to get Hagrid in trouble. "I know we're not supposed to know, but I found out, and I'm pretty certain Fleur and Viktor know too."

Angelina studied Charlie. "You didn't have to tell me."

"It's the right thing to do." Charlie shrugged. "It's not fair for you to go in oblivious while the rest of us know what's going to happen."

"That's very fair of you." Angelina smiled. "Thanks. About the buttons-"

"It's no big deal." Charlie smiled. "Listen, I have to-"

"Hold on there, Potter. Johnson, you can head off." Mad-Eye Moody stepped out from the classroom across the hall.

Angelina nodded and waved at Charlie before leaving. Nervous, Charlie followed Moody into the classroom, where he shut the door.

"**That was a very decent thing you just did, Potter.**"

Charlie blinked. It certainly wasn't the reaction she had been expecting. After all, she had just broken Tournament rules!

Moody continued to stare at her and Charlie glanced around the office. "What are all these devices?"

"Dark detectors." Moody answered. "Sneakoscope, that gold aerial is a Secrecy Sensor. It vibrates whenever it detects concealment and lies. Won't stop humming due to all the interference-kids lie all the time. Had to disable my Sneakoscope because it wouldn't stop whistling."

"What about that mirror?" Charlie asked.

"Foe-Glass. See all them out there, moping around? When I see the whites of their eyes I know I'm in trouble." Moody laughed. "Then I open my trunk."

Charlie eyed the unique trunk stashed in the corner. "So...you've discovered the dragons."

The girl flinched. "I really didn't mean-"

"No need to worry. Cheating has always been a part of the Tournament and will continue to be. Dumbledore may be high minded, but Karkaroff and Maxime won't hesitate to tell their champions any information they get." He looked at Charlie. "Have you come up with a way to get past the dragon, lass?"

Charlie shrugged. "I've tried looking. But not much luck so far."

"Well, I can give some good advice-_**play to your strengths.**_"

Charlie frowned in thought. She supposed her smarts counted as a strength, but there wasn't much good they would do against a dragon unless she found the right spell. She was also good at Quidditch, but-

_Wait a minute._

"I'm good at flying." She said aloud. "And that means..."

Moody smiled. "Good on you, lass."

...

After Charlie revealed to her friends that she knew what spell to use, they spent the entire next day practicing steady. Charlie practiced during breakfast, lunch, dinner and after classes. They would find an empty classroom and Harry and Ron would call out objects for Charlie to summon.

It was near midnight when Charlie was fully confident in her ability to cast the Summoning Charm. "You'll do great!" Ron encouraged.

"Yes, but now we must be getting to bed." Hermione yawned. "Pull on the Cloak and let's get going. Charlie has a big day tomorrow."

"You're telling me." Charlie muttered.

...

"Charlie!"

The girl groaned and rolled out of bed. "What?"

Hermione frowned down at her. "It's two hours before the first task!"

"Shoot!" Charlie scrambled up and hurriedly got dressed. Hermione thrust a muffin into her hand. The two girls exited their Common Room to find Harry and Ron waiting for them.

"Sirius is waiting for you on the front grounds," Harry informed her. "He wants to speak to you privately for a bit."

Charlie ate the muffin as she raced down the corridors and down the stone steps, where Sirius was waiting for her.

"Hey, kiddo." Sirius swung her into a hug. "How are you feeling?"

"Nervous. But that's to be expected." Charlie shrugged.

"Do you have any idea who put your name in the Goblet?" Sirius asked.

"Not a clue."

"I have some suspicions." Sirius looked around to make sure they were alone. "Karkaroff was a Death Eater. I was in Azkaban with him but he got released. Remus thinks I'm overreacting, but I'm certain the reason Dumbledore got an Auror to be a teacher here was because of him."

"Karkaroff doesn't seem to like Moody very much," Charlie said slowly. "Was he the one to put Karkaroff away?"

"You got it." Sirius nodded.

"But how did Karkaroff get released?"

"He promised to rat out all the Death Eaters he knew. That deal with the Ministry of Magic got him out and whole bunch of Death Eaters in Azkaban."

"I don't know," Charlie said dubiously. "I can believe Karkaroff being a Death Eater, but he seemed pretty upset when the Goblet spit my name out."

"He was acting." Sirius shook his head. "Of course he wouldn't act all happy. You need to watch yourself around him. Now, about the _Daily Prophet_-"

"I am not interested in either Ron or Harry." Charlie said flatly, trying to stop a blush.

Sirius grinned. "That's good to hear, but not what I was getting at. Rita Skeeter wrote an article about that attack on Moody a few days before school started. I think Karkaroff had something to do with it."

Charlie pressed a hand against her forehead. "But why would Karkaroff want to kill me?"

"I think he's trying to get in good with the Death Eaters," Sirius said seriously. "The Dark Mark, the raid at the Quidditch World cup-it all has to be connected. And you've heard about Bertha Jenkins, right?"

"Yeah. The Ministry worker that went missing."

"Well, she knew about the Tournament. Don't you think it's a little odd that she disappeared in Albania, the spot where Voldemort was reportedly last seen?" Sirius asked.

Charlie frowned. "So...Bertha managed to run right into Voldemort?"

"Bertha wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer," Sirius sighed. "We were at school at the same time. She was a big gossip, too. It wouldn't be difficult for Voldemort to lure Bertha into a trap."

Charlie felt uneasy. Sirius' theory made some sense, but she wasn't going to do anything about it right away. "Thanks, Sirius. I appreciate you looking out for me."

Sirius smiled. "It's what a godfather is supposed to do. And next time you get yourself into a life-threatening mess like this, let me know right away."

Charlie grinned sheepishly. "I'll do that."

"Don't be too worried about the first task," Sirius said. "Dumbledore wouldn't let anything happen to you and Charlie-"He cut himself off and Charlie laughed.

"No need to worry. Hagrid spilled the beans. But don't say anything. I don't want him getting in trouble." A slight smile crossed her lips. "And I already have an idea on how I'm going to deal with this task."

"That look on your face is making me nervous."

"Stop worrying. I have to go. I'll see you after the first task." Charlie hugged Sirius before sprinting towards the Great Hall. She collapsed into a seat beside Hermione. "Did I miss anything?"

"Not really." Hermione said. "Here, have some fruit. It'll make you feel better."

Charlie managed to choke down an apple before Professor Flitwick came to get her. "It's time to get ready for the first task."

Hermione squeezed Charlie's arm. "You'll do brilliantly."

Charlie offered a shaky smile and followed Flitwick. Ron gave her a thumbs up and Harry smiled encouragingly. Snape walked into the Great Hall just as the pair was walking out. The Potions professor whispered softly, "Good luck, Potter," and Charlie gave a quick, grateful smile at the sincere words.

_I'm going to be fine._

Flitwick, however, seemed to be more nervous than she was. "Don't worry, Miss Potter. Every measure has been taken to ensure the safety of the champions. Just do your best and play fair."

"I will," Charlie promised. "I'm fine, Professor. Really."

"I wish I could say the same," Flitwick muttered under his breath.

The Charms professor led Charlie towards the dragon enclosure. A giant tent had been set up to block the dragons from view and Flitwick ushered her inside. "Good luck, Miss Potter." He whispered just before she stepped through the flap.

Bagman looked far too excited. "Welcome, Charlotte! Sit down, make yourself comfortable." He waited until she had taken a seat beside Angelina before continuing. "Now, the audience has gathered and everything is ready. I want you all to reach into this little bag and pull out a model of the thing you will have to face. Let's just say you need to collect the golden egg in order to score full points. Don't worry, it will be clear once you've chosen your model."

Fleur went first. She pulled out a Welsh Green with a number two painted on the side. Viktor went next and pulled out Chinese Fireball with the number three. Neither of them looked surprised, which meant Charlie had been correct in her assumptions.

Bagman held out the bag towards the two Hogwarts students and Charlie motioned for Angelina to go first. The Gryffindor reached in and pulled out a Swedish Short-Snout with a number one painted on it.

"That leaves the Hungarian Horntail for Charlotte." Bagman said happily and handed Charlie her model. "Johnson, you'll be doing first, so just stand by the entrance and wait for the whistle. You're only allowed to use you wand. Charlotte, may I talk to you for a moment?"

"Uh...sure." Charlie agreed and followed Bagman outside of the tent.

"Anything I can for you?"

"No, sir. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Do you have a plan? I have a few pointers I wouldn't mind giving." He winked. "No one would know, and you are the underdog so it's only fair-"

"That's kind of you, sir." Charlie said quickly. "But I have a plan." _And I think I broke enough Tournament rules already._

Thankfully the whistle blew and Bagman had to take off to start the first task off. Charlie let out a sigh and went into the tent to wait.

The screaming, the roar of the dragons and the excited announcing caused Charlie's head to swirl. She twisted her hands and closed her eyes. To her relief, there was clapping for Angelina, Fleur and Viktor, which meant they were successful (and alive).

Now it was her turn.

The whistle blew and Charlie strode out into the arena-like area. She clutched her wand in her right hand and looked briefly at the audience. She spotted her friends, watching with pale faces. Sirius nodded encouragingly at her.

The monstrous beast snarled at Charlie. Her spiked tail thrashed about and her yellow eyes narrowed.

Charlie took a deep breath. "_**Accio Firebolt!**_"

_Please, please, please, please. _

Her knees nearly buckled with relief when, after a few agonizing seconds, she could hear her broom whistling through the air towards her. Her Firebolt stopped beside her and Charlie mounted it and kicked off.

The wind rushing through her hair was the best feeling in the world.

_Okay. There's the egg. Dive and swerve._

And that's what she did.

Charlie hurtled for the dragon and swerved just in time to avoid a jet of fire. The crowd shrieked and Charlie couldn't help but grin. She was in her element.

The Horntail watched Charlie as she circled above. Hoping she had made the dragon dizzy enough Charlie dived once more. This time she wasn't so lucky and the tail swung up and cut her across the shoulder. Charlie hastily retreated higher and tried to ignore the stinging. _Well played._

"Looks like I'm going to have to get you in the air." Charlie muttered. It was the only way she would be able to get that stupid egg.

Charlie taunted the dragon. She flew in all directions and remained too high for the Horntail to actually get her. Finally, the dragon fell for the bait and soared into the air. Charlie swooped down grabbed the golden egg.

_Victory!_

Charlie grinned broadly. The screams were deafening and Bagman hollered, "Miss Potter is the quickest to get the egg! It seems the odds will be in her favour for this round!"

Charlie landed by the tent entrance, where Flitwick, Moody and Hagrid were waiting for her. "Brilliant," Flitwick exclaimed. "You did wonderfully, Miss Potter. Now you better get that shoulder cleaned up. Madame Pomfrey will help you after she's cleaned up Miss Johnson."

"Yeh beat the Horntail, Charlie!" Hagrid said with tears in his eyes. "Yeh did it and Charlie-"

"Thanks," Charlie said quickly, cutting Hagrid off before he let it slip that Charlie Weasley had shown him the dragons.

"Good job, lass." Moody congratulated with a smile.

"Come, off to Madame Pomfrey with you!" Flitwick urged and Charlie walked towards the medical tent. Madame Pomfrey ushered her inside and set her down.

"What are they thinking?" Madame Pomfrey muttered as she cleaned out Charlie's cut. "First Dementors, and now dragons! Honestly! What will they think up next?" She put a bandage over the wound. "Now stay here and rest up. You can get your score later."

She bustled next door to tend to Angelina and Charlie collapsed back on the cot. She was exhausted.

"Charlie!" Hermione whispered excitedly as she rushed in, followed by Ron and Harry. "You were fantastic!"

"Brilliant," Harry agreed. "But now I have nail marks permanently etched into my skin thanks to Hermione."

"I think Viktor Krum was jealous." Ron said seriously. "He should really take some pointers from you."

Charlie laughed. "Thanks guys. But I couldn't have done it without my Firebolt." She patted her broomstick fondly. "Alright, let's go check the scores. I didn't go through all that for nothing, you know. Hermione, you can carry the egg if you want."

The four exited the tent and found Sirius and Remus waiting for them. "That was brilliant!" Sirius exclaimed and swung Charlie around.

"Although you nearly gave us a heart attack," Remus added.

"When did you get here?" Harry asked his guardian in surprise.

"A little bit after the first task started." Remus grinned. "I was pretty high up.

"I'm glad you could make it." Charlie smiled.

"Come on, let's go check out the scores." Ron said eagerly and they all went to the edge of the enclosure.

"They assign marks out of ten," Ron whispered as Madame Maxime raised her wand.

_8._

"Decent!" Harry smiled.

Mr. Crouch sent up a glittering _9_. Charlie grinned.

The score from Ludo Bagman-_10_.

"Alright!" Ron hollered. "You're killing it, Charlie!"

Of course, Karkaroff sent up a _4_, but Charlie didn't expect a fair score from the Durmstrang Headmaster to begin with.

"That biased rat," Sirius growled. "He knows very well Charlie did much better than his precious Viktor Krum. I'm-"

"_You're _not going to do anything." Remus said calmly. "Charlie isn't bothered. You shouldn't be either."

"It's all good," Charlie assured Sirius. "I didn't expect much from him to begin with."

Charlie Weasley came running up to them. "Good show, Charlotte! You're tied with Krum for first. I've got to run and send an owl off to Mum. I promised I would tell her everything that happened. Bagman would like you to stick around so he can have a word with you and the other champions."

"Well, I guess that's my cue to head home." Sirius ruffled Charlie's hair fondly. "Keep me updated and I'll see you soon."

"Bye!" The four kids waved to the departing adults. Hermione, Harry and Ron promised they would wait for Charlie and she hurried back into the tent. Fleur, Angelina and Viktor all came in after her.

"That was great!" Angelina whispered. "I wish I'd thought of that. But no. I Transfigured a rock into a dog for a distraction." She rubbed the orange paste covering her burn.

"It was a clever idea." Charlie assured her.

"You all did brilliantly!" Bagman exclaimed. "You'll be pleased to know you have a while before the next task. It'll take place on February twenty-fourth at half past nine. During that time you'll have to figure out how to open your golden egg. It'll contain a clue that you need to solve. The clue will tell you what the second task is. Any questions? No? Good! Off you go!"

The champions left the tent and Charlie headed back to the castle with her friends. "Does Remus read the _Daily Prophet_?" Charlie asked.

Harry shrugged. "Not usually. Why?"

"Well, it seems like Sirius reads it, yet he didn't mention the apparent 'romance' happening between you, Ron and I."

Ron turned red. "I'm glad! That would be an awkward conversation to have."

"How do you think I feel?" Harry cried.

Hermione giggled. "They've either haven't seen that article yet or they don't believe it. I'm sure if Sirius or Remus really though something would happen between Harry and Charlie they'd cut it off instantly."

"Rita Skeeter should mind her own business." Harry muttered.

"Speak of the devil." Charlie sighed.

The reporter emerged from the crowd and stopped in front of Charlie. "Wonderful job, Charlotte! Do you have a quick word you could give? How are you feeling right now? Do you think the scoring was fair?"

"Sorry, not interested." Charlie said flatly.

And she and her three best friends headed for the castle, laughing all the way.

**Yay! Another update! XD **


	13. Something's Up with Rita Skeeter

**I do not own Harry Potter. Direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire are in bold. Harry Potter belongs to the wonderful J.K Rowling.**

**Something's Up with Rita Skeeter**

Ravenclaws weren't known for being partiers, but they could throw one heck of a shindig when they wanted to. When Charlie entered her common room it was to see blue streamers and a table piled high with food. Her fellow House members cheered wildly. "Congratulations, Charlie!"

Charlie smiled. "Thanks, guys."

"You were brilliant!" Eliza complimented. "If the Quidditch Cup was running this year we would have won it for sure!"

"Alright, Potter. Show us what's in the Golden Egg!" Tommy called from the back of the crowd. A few others chimed in agreement, wanting to know what was so special about the Golden Egg.

"Now hold on," Penelope said sternly. "Charlie is supposed to figure out this clue on her own. It's Tournament rules."

"I'll only open it," Charlie assured the prefect as she took the egg from Hermione. "Just so everyone can see what's inside. I won't accept any help."

"Alright then," Penelope agreed. "Let's have it."

Charlie twisted the top half and went to remove it. "Here goes."

The raven-haired girl caught a glimpse of the empty depths before a horrible shrieking noise erupted from the egg. Charlie hastily slammed the top back on, her heart pounding heavily. "Okay, that wasn't what I was expecting."

"What kind of clue is that?" Tommy asked, rubbing his ears.

"I don't know. Maybe the noise is what I have to figure out." Charlie shrugged. "But if it's all the same to you, I'd rather take a break from the Tournament and just relax for a bit."

And that's exactly what she did. She ate almost everything her Housemates had brought to the food table, she and Hermione played a game of Exploding Snap and they all chatted until midnight.

At that time Charlie went up to her dormitory and collapsed in her bed. A sleepy smile crossed her face and she closed her eyes. _One task down, two more to go._

...

"You know," Charlie mused as she and her friends backed slowly away from the ever-growing Skrewts. "I thought that after facing a dragon I could face these pests. I was wrong."

It was the start of December and it was back to the normal school routine for Charlie (at least for now). The raven-haired girl crouched behind Harry as the ten grey-armoured creatures scuttled around the pumpkin patch angrily. The students had attempted to put the Skrewts in pillow-lined boxes (Hagrid hadn't been positive if Skrewts hibernated or not) and immediately retreated once the Skrewts began to react negatively to being shoved in boxes.

"Calm down!" Hagrid bellowed. There were only a few kids left out in the cold winter air trying to catch the Skrewts. The others had fled into Hagrid's cabin and were peering at them from the window. Harry and Charlie cautiously approached a Skrewt.

"The stinger is pointing at us!" Harry hissed, a rope gripped tightly in his trembling hands.

"Just stay calm and loop it over the stinger." Charlie urged.

"Why don't you do it?"

"I faced a dragon a few days ago! It's time for someone else to do the dirty work."

Grunting under his breath, Harry cautiously approached the Skrewt. He managed to loop the rope around the stinger without getting harmed (which was good, since the boy thought he already had enough burns on his arms to last him a while) and together the two kids managed to stuff the Skrewt with the rest of his bunch.

"Got it!" Harry breathed, nailing the lid to the box down firmly.

"That certainly looked like fun."

Startled, Charlie whirled around and stared at Rita Skeeter. The woman was observing the injured and exhausted kids with a slight smirk on her face.

"And who're you?" Hagrid demanded.

"I'm Rita Skeeter, reporter for the _Daily Prophet_." Rita introduced.

"Ah. Didn't Dumbledore ban you from the school grounds?"

"What are those creatures called?" Rita asked quickly, changing the subject. "They're quite fascinating."

"They're Blast-Ended Skrewts." Hagrid said, his chest puffing out just a bit in pride.

"I don't think I've ever heard of them before. Where did you acquire them?"

Charlie noticed the red flush creeping up Hagrid's face and quelled a groan. She really needed to do something about his monstrous creature obsession and how he went about obtaining them. "They're really interesting!" She piped up. "Aren't they, guys?"

Hermione nodded and elbowed the two boys sharply in the sides. "Uh...brilliant." Harry muttered.

"Very cool." Ron lied.

Rita, however, locked onto Charlie's voice only. "Oh, Charlotte! I didn't see you there. Is Care of Magical Creatures one of your favourite lessons?"

"Yeah." Charlie nodded. She certainly didn't _mind _the class...although calling it her favourite was a bit of stretch.

"Wonderful. How long have you been teaching?"

Charlie watched as Rita eyed Dean's smouldering robes, Lavender's scratches and Harry's burns. She had a bad feeling about this.

"Two years," Hagrid answered proudly. "An' lovin' e'ry minute o' it."

"You know what, Hagrid? How would you like to be interviewed for the _Daily Prophet. _We have a zoology section and I think your little Skrewts would be a hit!"

"Sure," Hagrid agreed eagerly. "I'm free this Friday, if you'd like ta chat then."

"Sounds good." Rita nodded. "The Three Broomsticks at lunch?"

Hagrid agreed to the arrangement just as the bell rang. The students burst from Hagrid's cabin and the others gingerly made their way up to the castle. Sighing heavily, Charlie joined her friends in the long walk across the sleety grounds. "That won't end well." She said flatly.

"Why would Rita want to interview Hagrid?" Harry asked. "She doesn't seem like the type of person who'd be interested in what Hagrid does."

"I doubt she is." Hermione narrowed her eyes. "She's probably up to something devious."

"Everyone around us is always up to something devious." Ron remarked in annoyance.

"I'm sure everything will be fine." Harry said optimistically. "Even if Hagrid does get in trouble, we can help bail him out. Right now though, I'm hungry."

"Then I'm sorry to tell you you're taking your lunch to go." Charlie informed him. "We're gonna do a little more bonding before moving on to the next step." She reached into her bag and removed the book. "The second step is clearing our minds and being open to the other."

"That sounds...interesting." Harry drawled.

The two siblings entered the Great Hall and grabbed a few sandwiches. They waved goodbye to Ron and Hermione before heading outside again. Harry quickly devoured his ham sandwich before it grew soggy from the damp mist. "Alright, what should we do?"

"Well, I want to know more about you." Charlie glanced at her brother. "I don't know much about your life with Remus."

"Oh. Well, it was great." Harry shrugged. "Despite his condition he's a wonderful guardian. He always takes me to London for my birthday and we explore the shops. He encourages me to do my best and taught me that blood status doesn't matter. He used to read me fairy tales every night before I went to bed." His lips curled upwards into a smile. "Most of them, funnily enough, were about wolves of some sort."

"How did you feel? When Remus told you he was a werewolf?"

"Shocked, as anyone would." Harry replied. "But it made sense. I always had a nanny on a full moon and he would be exhausted for days afterwards. But it didn't change anything. I knew he would never hurt me. I'm also not as frightened of his werewolf form as I used to be."

"I wonder what it would have been like if we were raised together." Charlie kicked a stone across the wet grass. "I wonder if we would still become the people we are now."

"I don't know. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I was the one who got that." Harry pointed at the scar on Charlie's forehead. "I don't want it, of course, and I know it's not something people should be in awe over. But I still wonder."

"I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Not even Pansy." Charlie ran her fingers across her lightning bolt-shaped scar. "It's a burden."

They continued to walk in silence for a moment. "You're handling it well." Harry spoke up. "Much better than I think I could."

Charlie smiled softly. "Thanks. I try. Now come on. There are only two more steps after this one and I want to accomplish telepathy by the end of this year."

"Only four steps altogether?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Oh, please. You people have Houselves who cook and you can _teleport_. It should hardly surprise you that telepathy can be achieved in four easy steps."

...

Evening fell and it was a few hours before curfew. Having already eaten dinner, Charlie decided to go and visit Dobby. She, Hermione, Ron and Harry walked through the corridors until they came upon the painting of a bowl of fruit.

"Remember," Charlie said sternly to Hermione. "We're here to say hi. We are _not _freeing any of them."

"I'd hate to think of what Remus would do to me if he discovered I had a hand in liberating the Houselves of Hogwarts." Harry muttered.

Hermione rolled her eyes impatiently. "I won't do anything of the sort!"

Satisfied, Charlie tickled the pear the quartet climbed through the portrait. They entered the kitchen, which was a high-ceilinged room with hundreds of glittering brass pans and pots hanging on iron hooks. A giant brick oven sat at the back of the room and hundreds of Houselves moved back and forth, carting dirty dinner dishes to the massive sink in the corner of the room.

Dobby was quick to spot his mistress and he hurtled across the room, tackling the girl in a hug. "Hello, miss! Dobby is very happy to see you!"

"And I'm very happy to see you." Charlie squeezed him back. "How's work going?"

"Good!" Dobby exclaimed. "Professor Dumbledore is very kind! He has even given Winky a job!"

"Winky's here?" Charlie asked in surprise.

"Yes!" Dobby grabbed Charlie's hand and led her through the kitchen. The elves beamed and bowed and curtsied as Dobby pulled her along. "Dobby heard of poor Winky's problem and went to help!"

"You helped Winky get a job here?"

"Dobby did."

"That was very sweet of you, Dobby."

The Houself beamed with pleasure and stopped in front of the brick oven. Winky was slumped on a stool, large tears rolling down her cheeks. Compared to Dobby's neat (although mismatched) attire, she was a mess. "Hey, Winky." Charlie greeted.

The little elf burst into tears.

Hermione hustled over to calm her but it was no good. Dobby smiled up at Charlie and asked, "Would mistress be liking some tea?"

"Please." Charlie nodded. Immediately, a silver tray was carried over by six Houselves. Porcelain cups, a large jug of milk, a kettle and a plate of cookies were piled on the tray.

Ron was impressed. "Brilliant service," he complimented and snatched up a cookie. Hermione glared at him but the elves were delighted. They bowed to the redhead and scurried off.

"Do any of you get paid?" Hermione asked. Harry slapped his forehead as the elves gave the girl horrified looks.

"Winky may be a disgraced elf," Winky said angrily, her tears slowing. "But Winky will not be taking pay even if Professor Dumbledore offers it! Winky is ashamed of being free!"

"And Dobby loves Charlotte Potter." Dobby said sweetly. "Dobby needs no pay."

"But-"

Charlie elbowed her sharply in the side. "They. Like. What. They. Do." She hissed through gritted teeth. "Now _please _shut up about it!"

Offended, Hermione moved furiously away from her friends and towards Winky. "You don't have to be ashamed of being free, Winky. Mr. Crouch was really horrible-"

At this, Winky clapped her small hands over her ears and shrieked, "Do not be insulting my master, miss! Mr. Crouch is a good master and right to sack Winky!"

"Winky is having trouble adjusting to freedom," Dobby whispered to Charlie. "She forgets that she is no longer bound to Mr. Crouch. She can say whatever she likes about him!"

Charlie grinned mischievously. "So you can say whatever you want about the Malfoys, then?"

Dobby blinked in realization. "Yes! Dobby's old masters were very bad Dark wizards!"

Charlie was very proud when her elf didn't try to run straight into the fire after uttering the insult.

"You ought to be ashamed, talking that way about your masters!" Winky shrieked.

Dobby puffed his little chest out. "Dobby have new master now! Dobby belongs to Charlotte Potter!"

"You don't _belong _to me!" Charlie corrected quickly. "You're free to do whatever you like."

"And I like to stay with Charlotte Potter." Dobby said feelingly.

Winky moaned and buried her face in her hands. "Winky is a bad elf! Winky's family has been serving the Crouches for generations! What will Mr. Crouch do without Winky?"

"Mr. Crouch is doing fine," Charlie assured in an attempt to cheer the elf up. "He's judging the Triwizard Tournament with Mr. Bagman."

The happiness at hearing her master's name immediately faded upon hearing Ludo's name. "Mr. Bagman is a terrible wizard! My master is not liking him one little bit!" She cried.

"Terrible?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Master be telling Winky things...things that Winky must keep secret." And once more, Winky burst into tears.

Charlie sighed, knowing that calming her down would be a futile effort. Hoping that she would eventually adjust to her new environment, Charlie glanced at Dobby. "You know, Christmas is coming up. What would you like?"

Dobby's green eyes widened. "A Christmas present for Dobby?"

"Of course, silly!"

"I already know what I'm getting him." Ron grinned.

Dobby was overwhelmed. He never had _friends _to celebrate with, never mind getting presents from. "Mistress and friends are too kind to Dobby!"

Charlie shook her head with a smile. "We'll see you later, Dobby."

"Bye, Charlotte Potter!" Dobby waved happily as the children departed (not before being handed a basket of goodies for a snack).

"I can't believe you!" Hermione said crossly as they walked through the corridors. "Those elves are working hard for nothing and you just want to let them be?!"

"Yes." Charlie said firmly. "Hermione, I don't agree with your ideas. I think Houself mistreatment should be stopped, but forcing them to freedom is wrong and I won't hear a word more of it from you. I'm sorry."

Hermione scowled and glared at the floor. "I suppose it's the same for you two?"

"Oh yeah." Ron said through a mouthful of crème cake.

"Sorry," Harry added.

"Fine. I'll do it on my own. And then you'll all see I was right." Hermione snapped and stormed ahead of her friends.

Charlie shrugged and grabbed a cookie from the basket. "Well. That went well."

"You think?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. She didn't scream at us or turn us into rats. I think she'll be fine with us by tomorrow."

"Oh. That's good."

In Harry's opinion, there was nothing worse than a ticked-off Hermione.

**Sorry for the wait. I've been caught up in other stories lately and this left my mind :P My apologies.**

**Review please!**


End file.
